The Softness of Loneliness
by miserum
Summary: Diane Smith is an incredible hunter. She's a good person too, but her past made her the way she is today. Diane can be friendly to everyone without letting them know the real her. When she meets Daryl, the wall she tried so hard to built slowly disappears, as she is the one that tries to get in his own wall. Begins at Season 1. I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE WALKING DEAD.
1. Chapter 1

_**Hello everyone! I had another story to complete, it was called The Executioner but I got bored of it and there were so many things happening in my life that I didn't find the time to write the final chapter so it was just there, uncompleted... So I deleted it. It was the right thing to do, as I was already thinking about another story I could write.**_

_**This time I wanted to introduce a character that I invented, Diane Smith. She really is a good person but she has her own problems. I'm thinking of writing some of them as the story develops. **_

_**It's going to be extremely difficult to write a romance involving Daryl but I'm willing to take the challenge. Besides, I don't know if he's going to have a romance in the TV show and I just wanted to write something crazy. I hope you like it!**_

_**I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE WALKING DEAD**_

* * *

_**Running Wild Through the Unknown**_

She was running like an animal anxious to escape his predator. Diane knew it was only a matter of time before all those creatures got her and she would be eaten by all of them. She imagined them fighting to taste her human flesh and that thought made her run faster.

As she kept running through the woods, every time she decided to go in another direction, she ended up in the same place. The trees were all tall and misteriously scary. It was almost dark and the more she ran the more of those things heard her.  
But Diane was stubborn and she was smart. She knew her way to survive.

She climbed to a near by tree and stood there quiet. Two of the creatures following her caught her and tried to get her, but they weren't abble to reach her. Diane grabbed her bow and sent two arrows across each creatures head and heard them fall in the ground like two pieces of meat. She waited to spot others coming in her direction, but she didn't heard anything.

Diane jumped to the floor and breathed heavily. She was beggining to feel tired and exhausted. She had been running for a long time.  
She heard someone, or something, stepping on a branch and she quickly hide herself from whatever was coming in some near by bushes.

"I heard something, man." She heard a man say and Diane realised they were close. "Get your eyes open, Rick. We saw how many were back there."  
"I know." Some other man answered. She figured it was Rick. "Just keep your voice down and let's see who's in there."  
"It's nothing." The other one warned him quickly. "Rick, man, let's just head back to camp."  
She sensed their footsteps approaching her hiding spot.  
"What if there's someone out there, Shane?" She heard Rick ask. "I ain't leaving someone like that. You know they don't run that fast. "

Diane froze. They had heard her run through the woods. There was so many of those creatures going after her. They could get trapped and she had to warn them. She wasn't going to let them die because of her. She started to head out from her hiding spot. "Don't shoot." She was abble to say, showing them her arm and gun. "I'm gonna put this on the ground."

Diane saw them looking at her speechless. Shane pointed his gun at her but Rick made him lower it. He approached her gently. "Hey, we ain't going to hurt you." He said quickly, making Diane slowly coming out of the bushes.  
Rick was a tall man that had a sheriff's uniform. He looked kind and gentle and he smiled at her and reached for her arm. Diane walked backwards, unable to know what he was going to do. "I'm not gonna hurt you." He warned her. "What's your name?"

She swallowed hard. "Diane." She finally said. "There's many of those things in here." She pointed at the creatures in the ground. "You need to get out of here."

Rick looked at Shane and the man seemed nervous. Shane was looking at every corner of the florest with his gun ready to shoot. "We have a camp near by. We can help you if you come with us. "

Diane looked surprised. She hadn't been with a group since hers died. She couldn't tell if she could entirely trust them, but Rick seemed like a reasonable guy. Shane was looking at him with a furious look.

"Hey, man, do you think that's a good idea?" Shane asked, keeping alert for any of those things that were coming towards them. "We don't know her."  
"I ain't gonna leave her here." Rick walked towards Diane, looking at her. Diane was shaking and losing her balance. "Come with us."

Diane took a deep breath and walked with them towards their camp, not really knowing what to expect from them.

* * *

_So, what did you think? I know this was a short chapter, but I have a lot of chapters prepared and they're really bigger. Diane's the kind of person that doesn't trust someone right away, but when she does, that person becomes super important in her life. I'm enjoying writting about her and I hope you'll like her too!_

_Please review and tell me what you thought of it! Bye xx_


	2. Chapter 2

_**I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE WALKING DEAD.**_

* * *

_**The New Group**_

Rick and Shane helped her run through the florest because Diane was exhausted. She hadn't eaten in days because she ran out of food in her camp. Diane was used to find her own food and survive in the woods by herself, but now she had no other choice than to accept their help.

"Over here!" She heard Rick calling for someone. Footsteps aproached them quickly but Diane coudn't see their faces. Her eyes were shut and she just wanted to rest.  
"Who's that?" Someone asked. It was a man's voice, probably young. She didn't recognize it.  
"We found her in the woods." Rick told them, still holding Diane on her waist and arm. Shane was grabbing her other arm. "She's exhausted and she needs to rest."  
"Put her in the RV." Another person said. All those voices were making her feel dizzy and about to pass out.

As Rick kept dragging her to the RV Diane kept listening to unfamiliar voices shouting behind her. They all seemed so worried.  
"Who is this?" A women said.  
"Is she dangerous?"

The voices were now far away from her and Diane felt her body being gently placed in a comfortable bed. She shut her eyes again and slept for what felt like the first time since she was alone.

* * *

_Her breathing was all she could hear. She had been alone for almost a week. The voices kept talking to her, making Diane go slightly insane._  
_The woods were becoming darker and darker, and Diane stopped running. There was no way out, she had to climb a tree to make sure she wasn't seen. Or heard._  
_Someone started walking behind her. She looked at the person and then all went black._

Diane opened carefully her eyes after her dream. It was always the same and she was already used to it. Diane didn't know where she was, but she was lying in a bed from what looked like an RV. She remembered someone saying to get her inside it.

"Calm down." An older man said grabbing her arm. Diane was trying to get up and she flinched at the contact. Her body began to shake and her muscles were aching really bad.  
"Where am I?" She finally asked, but her voice sounded lower and more insecure than what she wanted. The older man thought she was scared and nervous. Maybe she was.  
"Don't worry. You're safe." He added. "I'm Dale."  
"Diane."

Dale looked at her with a concern look on his face. "Look, I'm not a doctor, but I know you're dehydrated and exhausted." He got up and grabbed his hat. "You should rest. I'll warn Rick you're awake."  
With that he left the RV and Diane was alone.

She took a moment to process what happened. She was deffinitely exhausted and dehydrated, but somehow she couldn't remember how she got there. Diane remembered encountering Rick and Shane in the woods but after that she couldn't remember anything. Just voices and people shouting.

After a few minutes, someone entered the RV. She looked at the door and saw Rick coming towards her.  
"Hey there." He said, sitting in a chair next to her bed.  
"Hey."  
"How are you?" Rick asked. He had a gentle voice and looked concerned for her.  
"Dale said I was dehydrated and exhausted." Diane told him. "But I don't remember what happened... How I ended up here."  
"You almost collapsed." Rick informed her, looking out of the window. He pointed at some random trail from the florest. "We had to drag you to camp, me and Shane. We put you here and you were already asleep."  
"I'm sorry." Diane said. "I didn't want to force you to bring me here. I was doing fi..."  
"I asked you." Rick interrupted her, gently smiling. "I wasn't going to leave you out there alone. Especially how you were shaking."  
"Thanks."  
Rick simply nodded. He looked out the window again. His people were gathering near the RV because they didn't know if she was dangerous.  
"I talked to everyone, expect Daryl." Rick told her, still looking out of the window. "I haven't been with them since the beggining. I arrived yesterday."  
"Where were you?" Diane asked curiously. Rick looked at her.  
"In the hospital." He laughed at the idea. It seemed that time had passed so quickly... He looked at the floor and took off his hat, placing it in his hands. "I was shot, before all this."  
"That sucks." Diane said. "Perfect timing."  
He laughed at her sarcastic comment and got up. "You should rest for a bit, I'm gonna talk to people."  
When he reached the RV door, he looked at her again. "You're not a threat, Diane. You'll stay with us if that's what you want. If not, you can go on your way."  
She nodded and looked at the people who were gathered outside.

They all seemed harmless. There was a woman who looked worried and kept looking at her window, trying to figure out if she was going to run away and hurt them. She recognized Shane, standing next to a car, with a gun on his hand. He immediately looked at Rick when he approached them. She heard them all talking, but Diane couldn't understand what they were saying.  
Maybe she should just stay with them. They seemed like good people, and they had kids with them.  
Diane sighed uncomfortably. It was time for her to get up and talk to them.

She got up slowly and placed her hands on the shelf of the RV, trying to get some balance. When she finally got up Diane walked slowly towards the door.  
The sun burned her skin like it hadn't for a long time, and she was enjoying it. She felt multiple eyes looking at her and calling for Rick. Diane looked ahead of her and he was already coming in her direction.

"You shouldn't be here right now." He said, grabbing her arm. She pushed it away.  
"It's fine." She finally said, coming down the small stairs of the RV. When she walked out of it, people were still looking at her. Shane approached them but didn't say anything. "If I stay there any longer I'm gonna go insane." She continued, walking towards the group. Rick stood near her.  
"Everyone, this is Diane." He said, walking towards a woman.  
"Hey." That's all Diane said. She looked around and noticed they were all stepping away from her, not really knowing what to expect from this intruder. "I know you all see me as a stranger but I just want to stay with you guys. I can help you."  
"Do you know how to use a gun?" Someone asked. She looked around and saw Dale walking towards her. He was still expecting for her answer.  
"Yeah, I do." Diane responded. "And I have a bow too. I'm good at hunting."  
"Daryl wouldn't appreciate the help." The women next to Rick said, with her hand on her necklace. "But it's good that we have more than one person helping with the food."  
"The thing is," Shane started to say, "We don't know if you're dangerous. I mean, we don't know you."  
"Shane." Rick called for him, but Diane started talking.  
"No, it's okay. He's right." She told them, looking at Shane in particular. "You don't know me. But if you don't than you can't just say that I'm dangerous." She warned him. "I was alone because everyone in my group died. So I had to run away and try to survive. I'm just like you people."  
"You have to understand something." The woman next to Rick said. "The world isn't the same anymore. We have to be more careful."  
"Of course, we all have to..."  
Diane started to say, but a scream stopped her. They looked around trying to understand where it came from.

Everyone started walking towards the florest and Diane heard a kid yelling.  
"Mom?! Mom!" She heard. The women who was standing near Rick grabbed him and hugged him tighly.  
Diane ran towards Rick, Shane and the others to see what was happening. When she arrived she saw them killing one creature that was feeding of a killed deer. They were kicking it and throwing sticks at him when Dale finished the torture and the creature's head was chopped off.  
They heard sounds coming from the woods right by their side and Diane grabbed her knife. Her bow and gun were still in the RV. Rick and Shane grabbed their knifes as well put kept a hand placed in their guns.  
After a few seconds, a man came out of the bushes with a furious look. When he saw everyone gathered around he seemed slightly surprised.

The man looked at the deer and shifted his crossbow on his shoulder.  
"Son of a bitch. That's my deer! Look at it. All gnawed on by this... filthy, disease-bearing, motherless poxy bastard!" He yelled, deffinitely angry at the creature that was lying on the ground. It was eating the deer he hunted.  
Diane walked away. It was best if she just let them work things out. She came closer to the women who grabbed her boy. She looked at Diane and smilled.  
"They're taking care of it." Diane told her. She looked at the boy. "Are you okay, young man?"  
The boy looked at her and gave her a shy smile. "Yeah. Thanks."  
Diane smiled at him. The women was still looking at her. "I'm Lori." She told her and Diane nodded.  
"Diane."

The three of them saw movement in camp and they realised Rick, Shane and the others - including the new man - were already there. This new guy was shouting for someone called Merle and everyone was looking at him with suspicious looks. Diane came closer to the RV with Lori and the other women. She didn't have a clue about what was going on.

"Is he dead?" She heard the new man asking, looking at Rick and Shane.  
"We don't know." Shane answered him, looking down.  
"He is or he ain't!" The guy shouted, becoming even more furious.  
Rick started walking towards him, leaving Diane alone. She kept looking at the scene.  
"There's no easy way to say it, so I'll just say it." Rick started talking. "You're brother was a dangerous to as all... So I handcuffed him to a roof, hooked him to a piece of metal."  
Diane didn't hear anything more. She walked towards the RV and entered it to talk to Dale. She heard the new guy screaming along with Rick and Shane.  
"What did Rick do to this guy's brother?" She asked, glancing a look at the scene.  
"Long story." An asian guy said to her. "I'm Glenn."  
"Diane." She smiled. "Who's this guy anyway?"  
"That's Daryl." Glenn answered her, looking at the redneck who was in the ground. "His brother was Merle. Or is. T-Dog said he's alive."  
"In the roof?" Diane asked in disbelieve. "What about those creatures?"  
"Creatures?" Dale asked, surprised.  
"Yeah, what do you call them?" Diane asked. She had called those things creatures since the beggining.  
"Walkers." Glenn answered quickly.  
"It's more pratical..." She observed. "And, I don't want to be mean, but it's sounds cool." She teased. "Walkers."  
Glenn laughed with her. "Yeah, I have to agree with you on that." After saying this, he got up and walked towards the RV door. Rick was in there and wanted to talk to him. Diane heard that Rick needed him.  
"What are they going to do?" She asked Lori.  
"They're going back."  
Diane looked over to Rick and started walking towards them. When she got near them, Daryl was nowhere to be seen and Rick was still talking to Glenn. Lori came with her.

"I'm going with you guys." Diane said, looking to Rick. "I'm feeling better and I have to exercise a bit. I can't stay here forever."


	3. Chapter 3

_**Hello everyone! I'm so happy that some people are now following the story, thank you so much!**_

_**First of all, I want to answer to a very funny anon that said: She sounds like a nicer, female version of Daryl which is incredibly**_  
_**cliche and lame. So try again. With a more original OC. or here's a wild idea, no OC.**_

_**I really want to say to you that Diane does not have anything to do with Daryl. Sure, they were both hurt in the passed and she knows how to use a bow. So what? I chose for her to use a bow because I really love the crossbow, but that's Daryl's weapon. So the girl has the bow. Next, she isn't a nicer female version of Daryl. Diane is based in a lot of things, but definitely not Daryl. You have to wait and see, because I am going to show some more of her passed. You can't judge a book by it's cover, so don't start do judge my story right in the beginning, when there hasn't been many character development.**_

_**I want to thank **__**momoXvolturi**__** for the review, thank you so much! I'm kind of excited to write more chapters of this story and I hope you'll like it!**_

_**I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE WALKING DEAD.**_

* * *

_**The City and the Dead**_

It was decided. Diane was going with them whether Rick wanted it or not. She insisted on going because she wanted to get away from camp and exercise her legs. All this time she had been running alone through the woods and now she had been in the RV like a diseased person.  
"If you're going, than we have to make one thing clear." Rick had told her before going off to prepare his things. "You do as we told."  
"That's fair." She agreed. "Don't worry about me."

Shane was the one that didn't agree with Rick. Diane believed that some other people didn't agree with him as well, but they kept their mouths shut. She didn't answer Shane or Rick, she went to the RV and asked Dale for her gun. Despite of looking at her with a suspicious look, Rick came and told him that Diane was going to help them bring Merle back. He gave it to her in a few minutes and Diane was ready to go. She noticed how Daryl was so far away from camp and she thought that he needed gentle words to make him feel better. After all, she had lost her friends and brother. Maybe this time he was going to be able to find his brother, something that she wasn't capable of.

Diane headed towards his camp and stood at the entrance of his tent. She heard someone inside and entered slowly. Diane knew he would be in there alone to process what happened and she wanted to tell him something that could cheer him up.  
"Hi." She greeted him, trying to sound nice. He looked at her and chewed on his thumb.  
"Who the hell are ya?" He asked with an angry voice. She forgot he didn't know her.  
"I'm Diane." She informed him. "Rick and Shane brought me to your group yesterday." She stopped talking and noticed he wasn't looking at her anymore. "I'm going with you looking for your brother."  
That caught his attention. "What do ya want?" He asked furiously. Just the fact of Diane being there was pissing him off.  
"Look I know what happened." She said. "I've lost some people too an..."  
"I don't want your pity, missy." He interrupted her, pointing one finger at her.  
"Who says I'm sorry for you?" She asked. Diane let out a small laugh. "My point is that I've lost my brother too so if you want to talk, you can talk to me."  
Daryl coughed. "Yeah, that will cheer me up in a second." He answered her sarcastically. "Listen girl, I ain't got all day to listen to your crap, so just leave me be."  
"Fine. I was just trying to help you, but you know what? Why should I care?" She asked him, throwing her arms in the air. "You obviously don't." Diane felt her face burning up because of the anger she was feeling. She started walking out of his tent but she turned around and looked at him. "I don't even know you, but I wanted to be nice to you. If I'm staying with your group, I have to help you people. Do you see anyone else giving a crap about what you feel?" She asked. As he didn't answer, Diane walked out of the tent and walked towards Rick and Glenn. They were ready and waiting for them.

"Where's Daryl? We don't exactly have the whole day." Rick warned them, going back to Daryl's tent.  
"Such a nice guy." Diane said sarcastically. Glenn appeared next to her and laughed.  
"Yeah, I know. He's an ass. Just like..."  
"Shh." Diane told him. Daryl was coming and he didn't look good. He shifted his crossbow on his shoulder and then looked slightly at Diane. She looked at Glenn and rolled her eyes.  
"I just wanted to help him. Like being nice or something, I mean... I've lost people, I know how that feels."  
"He's been like that since we've met him and Merle." Glenn informed her, the both of them jumping into the van that they had prepared. Daryl sat down in front of T-Dog and Diane sat behind Glenn, who was in the passenger seat. Rick was driving.  
Daryl was saying something to T-Dog about his brother but Diane didn't listen. All that talk about her brother reminded her of how much she missed him. He had died for almost two months, along with her entire group. She was the only one who escaped, exactly because her brother sacrificed himself in order to save her from all the walkers.  
Diane remembered her dream and closed her eyes. She didn't want to remember that feeling of running through the woods barely alive. She remembered her breathing and the person who appeared in the dream. It all felt so real...  
"Are you okay?" Glenn asked, noticing Diane with her eyes shut. T-Dog and Daryl looked at her surprised.  
"I'm fine." She said, opening her eyes. "I was just resting."  
"Now it's not the time for resting." Daryl told her annoyingly. She shrugged.  
"Since when do I care about what you think?" She asked him. "You best keep your mouth shut and than thank me for helping saving your stupid brother."  
Daryl began to point a finger at her. Again. "You best shut your mouth." He threatened her with a very low voice.  
"Yeah, like you're some big scary guy." She answered.

Rick stopped the van. "We're here." He told them. Rick glanced over Daryl and Diane. "You both should keep your mouth shut. We need to be quiet from now on."  
They both exchanged looks and then they jumped into the ground. Daryl picked up his crossbow and Diane her knife. They both looked at each other one more time and then they stood out of each others way.  
Diane walked besides Glenn, listening to them deciding what they we're getting first.  
"I thought it was just Merle."  
"And the bag of guns." Glenn informed her. Diane didn't know anything about a bag of guns, but it was T-Dog who explained it to her.  
"The bag of guns Rick left behind before finding us. And we're getting Merle first."  
Diane nodded and looked at the city.

The road to the place where Merle should be handcuffed was clear and they all ran through it keeping alert to walkers. Diane suddenly remembered that she had left her bow in camp and cursed herself for it. Her knife and gun were good, but she was an expert with the bow.  
They entered what it looked like a mall and there was a female walker in there. Diane looked at her right and saw another walker coming in her direction, but she ran towards it and placed her knife through it's skull without much effort. She nodded to Rick just about time to see Daryl kill the other female walker.

Daryl was getting more and more nervous about getting to the roof. And something told Diane that he's brother was not going to be in there waiting for them.  
They climbed the stairs so quickly that Diane gasped a few times before she calmed down. Daryl and Rick were waiting on T-Dog to open the door.

When he did, Daryl stormed out and began yelling. "Merle!" He yelled. "Merle!"  
All Diane could see was Daryl running through the rooftop until he stopped at something he was seeing. Diane thought that Merle was in there, dead. She walked carefully towards them, just in time to see Daryl's tears in his eyes.  
"No!" He yelled some more, but Diane could understand if Merle was in there. "No, no!"  
And she looked at the place and saw a hand. She gasped. A single hand was in there, on the ground. It looked recent. She looked at Daryl and he couldn't face any of them.  
Diane came closer to the hand, trying to focus and not to feel sick about it.  
"It looks recent." She told them. "I think he stayed in here for a bit before he was able to... cut it off."

No one was actually listening to her anymore. She looked around and saw Daryl poiting his crossbow at T-Dog and Rick pointing his gun at Daryl. Diane came closer to them.  
"Daryl, come on." She told him, forgetting being so pissed of at him. "This wasn't his fault."  
Rick told him to back off and so he did. Daryl reached for something like a scarf in Glenn's backpack and reached for Merle's hand. He wrapped it around the scarf and put it back in Glenn's backpack. Then he reached for his crossbow and started looking around.

Daryl was saying something about Merle getting out of there and Rick didn't seem convinced. Diane thought he was right. No matter how tough Daryl said Merle was, everyone had a weakness. And Merle was losing blood as they spoke, so he was vulnerable. And alone.  
She understood perfectly Daryl's desire to find his brother. Being stupid or an ass, like Glenn told her they were, didn't matter. Blood is blood. She get that. When Diane lost her brother, all she wanted to do was to find him. Although her brother wasn't stupid. He actually protected her.

They all stopped walking at some point. They were in a kitchen from another house and the heat of the stove was still on. Someone had been there and Daryl immediately thought it had been Merle.  
"I think he's right." Diane said, agreeing with Daryl. "I mean, anyone could of been here. But look at this place." She waved her hand around and she saw Daryl looking at her. She glanced for a few seconds in his direction and kept talking. "Does it look like someone has been living here?"  
They all nodded. And Diane kept talking. "Maybe he's close, but we can't keep looking for him." At that point, Daryl had enough. He tried to go after his brother, but Rick stopped him.  
"He's family, I get that." He was saying. Diane started to talk.  
"We have to get your bag of guns." She warned him. "It's not that far; maybe there's a chance we see him there. We don't know."  
Rick agreed with her and they started to walk down the road.

After wondering around for fifteen minutes they all entered in a small store that didn't have any walkers in it. They all gathered around Glenn as he explained what they were going to do. He seemed like he had everything under control and Diane was surprised by that. He didn't seem someone that knew so much about those kind of plans.  
"Hey, kid, what did you do before all this?" Daryl asked.  
"Delivered pizzas. Why?" Glenn answered, a little bit curious. Diane knew Daryl was thinking the same thing she was, and she smiled akwardly.  
"So, Rick and T-Dog will stay here. They'll back me up from that place." Glenn explained one more time. "I'll have Daryl and Diane with me because they have a crossbow and a knife. It's more quiet that way."

They all knew what they had to do, so it was easy to make themselves in position. Daryl and Diane stayed quietly next to each other waiting for Glenn.  
"I still don't get it." She whispered to him. He looked at her. "I was just being nice to you."  
"I don't need nice." He told her. "I just want to find my damn brother. Maybe you people will leave us alone then."  
Diane didn't understand why he was acting like this.  
"What do you mean? You're part of the group and I'm s..."  
"Shut up, girl." He told her, holding his crossbow. "I'm hearin' something."

She shrugged her shoulders and picked up her knife, listening carefully to the sound of footsteps behind them. It was probably a walker, so when Daryl got up and pointed his crossbow at it, they were all surprised.  
"What the hell?" Diane asked herself, looking at a kid in front of her. "Who the hell are you?" She asked him, running towards him.  
"Did you see my brother?" Daryl asked the kid. Diane couldn't believe he was actually asking him that, how could the kid know who he's brother was?  
"_Ayúdame_!" The kid started to scream.  
"Shut up!" Daryl told him, pointing his crossbow near him. "Shut up!"  
"_Ayúdame_!" The kid continued. Diane looked through the fences and saw that Glenn was coming back.  
"Shit." She said, turning her attention to the kid. When she turned her back to look at them, some other guys were kicking Daryl everywhere. She held her knife and ran towards them, but they kicked her too and left her on the ground. She looked up and saw Glenn looking at the whole situation with his mouth dropped. What should he do?  
"Get down!" Daryl demanded her, holding his crossbow with one hand. He pointed it to one of the guys and fired. It hit the guys ass and he started screaming.  
"Glenn!" Diane screamed. "Glenn!"

It was too late. Glenn was put in the car and they all drove off, leaving the kid behind. Daryl looked at him and ran in his direction, beating him with punches and kicks.  
"Stop"! Diane said, grabbing his arm. He looked at her and tried to kick the kid again but Rick and T-Dog appeared.  
"What the hell happened?" Rick asked, stopping Daryl himself.  
"Some guys appeared out of nowhere and took Glenn!" Diane exclaimed, putting her knife on it's pocket. She picked up Daryl's crossbow and gave it to him. He looked at her for a brief second and returned his attention to Rick.  
"This dumbass kid appeared and started screaming like a girl for his stupid friends." Daryl talked, trying to punch the kid again. "Hun, ain't that true, kid?" Diane grabbed his arm again. "Get your hands off me!"  
"That's your great idea to get Glenn back?" She asked, kicking him in the arm herself. It didn't do much though. "Kicking the kid 'till he passes out?"  
Daryl mumbled something that she didn't understand and then kicked the ground with anger.

Rick looked at both of them and led them somewhere safe to figure how they would get Glenn back. Diane kept her distance from Daryl, but noticed his glances at her from time to time.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Hello everyone. Are you enjoying the story? I hope you are! It means the world to me.**_

_**I want to thank **__**CreepyDaisy**__** for the review. Answering your question, I have been wondering the same thing myself. I'll probably follow the story line and add some scenes with Diane, but I have this problem with the original lines, because I don't remember all of them. So I'll follow the story line and I'll have some original lines, but not all of them. And I'll add new scenes with Diane.**_

_**I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE WALKING DEAD.**_

* * *

_**Dead and Gone**_

**At camp**

Everyone was super excited about tonight's dinner at camp. They began to forget the absence of five people of their group, because everything was going fine. They all put their efforts to make a special dinner that night, maybe because there were more people with them and they wanted to welcome them. They seemed to accept Diane's presence pretty good and when she returned she would be happy about it.

Morales had the great idea of making a different fire in order to let the flames be a little higher. It would be good to change the routine from time to time and now seemed like the exact moment for doing it.

When evening came everyone gathered at the fire. The slight incident between Shane and Ed that afternoon seemed to be over, but Ed was in such a bad condition that he didn't join them. Carol and Sophia, however, joined the other people to eat in peace for the first time in a very long time. It almost seemed ironic.

Something was going on between Lori and Shane but no one quite understood what really was going on. Lori seemed more distant from him than ever and he looked pissed of all the time. Maybe because of Rick and the others going back to the city to get Merle. That sure made him feel angry at everyone, so he beat up Ed in return.

Dale was talking about something related to a special watch he had that made him think about distant memories. A passed that seemed gone. They all were listening to him. Listening to his wise words about something so little and yet so special. The food was really good and the heat from the flames was comfortable. The world seemed so quiet that all of the recent events didn't seem real.

"You're so weird." Amy told Dale after his big speech about the watch and time. Everyone laughed as she got up. Andrea seemed to notice Amy was going somewhere and questioned her about where she was going.  
"I gotta pee." She confessed, looking at the others embarrassed. She comented her sister's question and everyone thought it was funny. So while she went to the RV with a little privacy, everyone kept drinking and eating until they had enough.  
Some people still commented about Dale's watch and the writer's - that he quote - perspective of time, when they heard a scream.

Everyone turned their back and looked at the RV and saw Amy being bit by a walker. Andrea looked at the scene breathless while everyone started getting up and looking for their guns. It was total caos.

* * *

"We're almost there." Rick told them while they ran. After all they had been through in the day, the worst thing that could happen was losing the van. But they did, so they had to come back by foot.  
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I'm not tired." Diane told them. She remembered Dale telling her that she needed to rest. But she ignored it.  
"Are you alright?" Glenn asked her, running besides her. Diane nodded.  
"I'm fine, let's just keep going."

As soon as she stopped talking, they heard screams and gun shots all over the place. It came from their camp and they all looked at each other speechless.  
"Let's go!" Rick demanded, running faster. Diane cursed herself from leaving her bow in the RV, because she only had her knife and gun. She didn't like guns but if there was a lot of walkers in camp, a knife wasn't fast enough.

She ran towards camp as fast as she could and when they arrive, walkers were everywhere. She saw Lori with Carl behind Shane. Some other woman with a kid was behind them too. The others were shooting or being eaten.  
Diane looked at the RV. Some girl she didn't remember the name was being eaten by a walker. She ran towards it, but someone grabbed her arm and made her look away. Daryl was standing next to her, shooting walker after walker.  
"Don't go in there, are you crazy?!" He yelled at her, giving Diane another gun. "Take it."  
"I have a gun!" She yelled, stepping in front of him killing two walkers with her gun. "She's in there alone!"  
As she said that, Diane looked over to the girl again. Someone was with her and Diane looked at Daryl.  
"She ain't alone anymore!" He yelled, looking away. "Just focus!"  
Diane did as he told her and ran towards one walker that was close from T-Dog. She put her knife through it's skull and ran towards some others that were eating people alive. She shot them in the head and looked around her.

It was caos. There were people screaming and crying. Rick ran towards Lori and Carl and Diane saw the girl she tried to save laying down on the ground with an older woman screaming at her. She looked around and saw Daryl behind her, carefully shifting his crossbow. She kept looking at him, expecting something. She didn't quite know what she wanted, especially from him. Diane had been the whole day angry at him but now she was looking for him for comfort. He looked at her, nodded, and then stood next to Rick.

"I remember my dream now." Some guy told Dale as he looked around all the bodies. "Why I dug those holes."

* * *

Morning came and no one said anything. Diane slept in the RV but she didn't rest at all. She realised the woman who was screaming at the girl she tried to save was Andrea, and she was outside laying with her dead sister, Amy.  
She thought about what Daryl did and he was right. Amy was already dead, because she was already bit. But Diane felt the need to help her, as she felt when her group was eaten. The other reason why Diane didn't sleep was because she kept having the same dream she did the other night. And it kept stuck in her mind as she got up and sat next to Dale and Glenn.

"What happened out there?" Dale asked them, speechless.  
"Long story." Glenn confessed. "We were about to get Rick's bag of guns when this group came out of nowhere and kidnaped me and took the bag with them."  
"We had to think of a plan to get Glenn back." Diane told Dale, remembering the whole episode from the day before. "They left one kid behind and we decided to use him. The kid told us the way and lead us to their place. It turned out it was really different than what we thought."  
"What do you mean?" Dale asked. He was glancing in Andrea's direction every five seconds.  
"Imagine me, Rick, Daryl and this kid entering their place for the second time, but this time we were in there to kill them and get back Glenn and the bag of guns." Diane told him. "They kept saying it was theirs, but it was Rick's and we weren't going to give up. So when we were almost shooting at each other, an older woman appears asking for someone."  
"This guy from their group had an asma attack." Glenn remembered sadly. Dale looked at them with a ridiculous look.  
"We were speechless. Rick gave them some of the guns and then we head our way. When we returned to the van, it was gone." Diane completed, still chocked about it. "Probably Merle."

Dale didn't say anything. It was a long story that probably Rick or Glenn would tell the group when the right time came. Diane looked outside the RV. "I remember something that he said." She told him, pointing at a man that was outside, getting rid of the bodies. "He told something about a dream he had."  
Dale took his hat and looked down at his feet. "He was digging holes up there," And pointed at some random place in the woods, "something about a dream... He couldn't remember. Last night he said he remembered."  
"Do you think he was serious?" Diane asked him.  
"I don't know." Dale confessed. Diane looked down.  
"I should've been here." She told him, putting her hand on his shoulder. "It meant that you were all safer."  
"Don't say that, how could you guess?" He asked her, giving Diane a sad smile. "I'm only worried about Andrea."  
"Maybe someone should go and talk to her." Diane advised him. "I'm going outside."

Diane wasn't planning on talking with Andrea. She didn't know her well enough. Neither did she know Amy. Something told her that she needed to help them, so she stood next do Daryl.  
"What do we do?" She asked him, unsure of how he would react. Daryl only looked at her and kept doing what he was doing.  
"Get rid of the bodies." He told her gently. She looked at him surprised. "Put your knife through their skull and drag them over there." He pointed at a stack of bodies near the woods.  
"Could you help me?" She asked him. Dragging the bodies by herself wasn't good. She still wasn't at her best. He looked at her nervously.  
"Ask Glenn to help ya out." He said coldly. "I ain't got the time."  
"Yeah, you're so nice." She told him, walking away.  
Diane came closer to Glenn and squeezed his hand slightly. "Are you okay?"  
"What do you think"? He asked her. "Look at all these bodies."  
"I know." She squeezed his hand again. "Maybe we could help each other dragging them. I don't mind finishing the job for you."  
He looked at her with a confused look. "Finishing the job?"  
"You know, putting a knife through their skull." She told him as gently as possible. "It's okay, Glenn."  
"Yeah, whatever."

They walked by some group of bodies that were half eaten and Diane looked away for a second. Before she could put her knife through a young man's skull, an axe went through it, scaring her.  
She looked over and saw Daryl helping her.  
"Help me drag it into that pile." He told her, making Glenn turn away towards the RV.  
Diane didn't say anything. Was this his way of apologizing to her?

They kept dragging bodies until Diane said she was feeling dizzy. Daryl made her sit next in the RV before getting T-Dog's help with the bodies. As they were putting one of their group in the pile of walkers, Glenn walked towards them and told them that they were going to bury their friends. And not burn them.  
"People were burnt before." Diane told to herself, looking away. But Daryl and T-Dog dragged the body into another pile, making the same with the other dead people of the group.

"Jim's bit!" Someone screamed. Diane immediately got up and looked for the guy named Jim. She was surprised to realise it was the same guy that said all those things about the dream he had. She started walking towards him.  
"Show us!" Daryl demanded, feeling Diane on his side.  
T-Dog grabbed the guy from behind and Daryl lifted his t-shirt. There was a clearly bite mark on his side with blood on it.  
"I'm okay. I'm okay." He kept saying. No one said anything.

"Come here." Rick told them, gathering everyone. Diane joined them.  
"He's a threat." She told them. "I know he's one of your own but... This isn't right. He can't turn."  
"I say we finish him. And the dead girl over there." Daryl said.  
"Hold on, we need to be calm about this."  
"Calm?" Diane asked him, not believing Rick was actually saying this. "Look, I lost my group like this. I saw them suffer and having a slow death. Jim's going to die anyway... and then he's gonna turn. Do you want him to suffer?"  
Rick looked at her without saying a word. Daryl picked his axe and ran towards Jim, but Rick had his gun raised at him. Diane ran in their direction.  
"Daryl just leave it be." She told him, slightly touching his shoulder. He pushed her away.  
"You all left my brother for dead!" He yelled, walking towards his tent. "You had this coming!"  
Daryl left them near Jim and Rick touched Diane's shoulder slightly. She flinched for a second but than relaxed.  
"I'm gonna get him to the RV." Rick told her.  
"Fine. Just remember what I told you."  
"Yeah, I know you're right." Rick answered her, sighing. "Just go and talk to Daryl?"  
Diane gasped, controling a laugh. "Me?"  
"Do you think anyone has the patience for it?" He asked her, leaving Diane with no response. She nodded and went to Daryl's tent.

She unzipped it quickly and entered it, listening to him gasp and mumble something. He turn to look at her.  
"You're here to piss me off as well?" He asked her. Diane sat on the ground and looked at him.  
"I'm here to keep my eye on you." She told him.  
"Do you think you can do that?" He laughed, mumbling some more. "I ain't got the patience to hear ya talkin'."  
"Me neither." She confessed, making him look at her. "I'd rather be out there helping them."  
"What's stoppin' ya?"  
"You."  
He looked at her again. She had big brown eyes and short light brown hair. This was the first time Daryl ever noticed how beautiful she was, and that made him even more agressive.  
"Just go." He demanded her, throwing his arm in the air.  
"I can't. Rick asked me to talk to you. I see you're not much of a talker."  
"You see right." He agreed with her. "That girl is a time bomb. So is the guy."  
Diane slightly smiled. "I know. I agree with you... Well, part of it. They _are_ a time bomb but you can't just put a knife in their skull and move on with it. Andrea is still with her sister. And Jim is a..."  
"He's alive now!" He yelled. "I ain't gonna sit here and wait till he's walkin' around biting everyone."  
"We'll do what's necessary if we need to." She told him, trying to calm him down. "Daryl, just relax."  
For the first time, he sat down next to her and chewed on his thumb.  
"I know you don't want to hear me talk." She told him, laughing. "But Rick asked me to stay here with you and I'm not going to be quiet the whole time."  
"Why not?" He asked her, with a low voice. "You'd do me a favor."  
"Just let me talk." She asked him politely. "When I first came to your tent I was trying to talk to you about something relating my brother." She waited for him to remember the conversation. When he nodded, she continued. "I was going to tell you that I lost my brother as well, but I didn't see him dying. Or being bit. He just disappeared."  
"People don't just disappear." He snapped, annoyed. "My brother is alive."  
"Yeah, I agree." She told him, making Daryl seem surprised. "I mean, they told me your brother's an ass." He laughed at it. "And if you're so good at fighting, I reckon he is too."  
"He's a tough son of a bitch." Daryl confessed.  
"My brother was a tough son of a bitch too." She told him, smiling at the memories. "Not the bad type... He disappeared because we were attacked and he told me to run for it."  
"He saved you." Daryl told her.  
"Yeah, I think so." She got up. "Sometimes I just think I should've stayed there helping them. Although I didn't know how to fight."  
"How did you learn then?" He asked, getting up as well.  
"On my own."  
He then looked at her like he never did before. Looked at her eyes and saw the truth and the strength of her. That made him feel nervous. Daryl just nodded.  
"I'm gonna go now." She told him. "You're calmer now and I want to know what they are going to do with Jim."

She took one last glance at him and left.


	5. Chapter 5

_**I want to thank **__**momoXvolturi**__** for the amazing review! You have no idea how happy I felt after reading what you said! About your critique, I agree with you. The thing is, I'm realising that the chapters are very long. When I'm writing the chapters I don't notice how long they are, so I have to cut a few parts in order to tell what's most important. I'll do my best though!**_

_**WATCH OUT, POSSIBLE SPOILERS! **__**PS. I've seen episode 9 today! First of all, Daryl leaving? I get it but it left me so sad! You have no idea how annoying I think Merle is. But Daryl's coming back. And Carol's reaction was really emotional. **_  
_**Despite all of that, I absolutely think Rick is going crazy! That woman he saw was really creepy! What did you think of the episode?**_

_**I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE WALKING DEAD.**_

* * *

_**Down the Road**_

Rick decided to leave Jim safe in the RV for a while. Lori told Diane that Rick wanted to talk to people about a place that he thought it was safe for them to be. Diane didn't know the place he was talking about, but maybe it was better than being in an open field. When the cold nights arrive they all will wish they had found a house.  
She kept herself near Glenn who didn't look okay. He seemed away from everyone, thinking about stuff that wasn't good for him. Diane understood that he had lost a lot of friends the night before, and the time to bury them was coming.

It had passed only one hour since what they most feared happened. Amy was laying on the ground dead, but nobody could shoot her in the head because Andrea didn't let anyone get neither them. Diane didn't try to shoot her from a distance, although Daryl kept telling them that it was the best thing to do.  
When they saw Amy's body moving, everyone gathered around, waiting for Rick to say something. Diane grabbed her gun and was ready to shoot, when a gun shot was heard in the entire camp.  
Andrea shot Amy in the head. Her blood was everywhere. Only Dale was abble to reach for her, before Amy turned.

Diane was starting to get to know Dale a little better. He reminded her of her father, John. Sometimes she missed him so much... Diane's dad died when she was sixteen years old in a car accident. She was now twenty one but there wasn't a day that without her missing him. John had been very close to his daughter, especially with everything she had been through. Diane needed his help, and he was there for her. His death only made things worse and her mother was griving herself. Diane didn't have a person who she could really talk to and that's when things got really ugly.

She got to know more people from camp. She met Carol and her daughter Sophia - they were the ones that were behind Lori and Shane the other night when camp was attacked. She realised Ed, Carol's husband, had been eaten until there was almost nothing left of him and she saw the way Carol put the axe through his skull. She seemed determined to do it.

When everyone was ready to bury their friends, they gathered near the holes Jim had done the day before. He was still in the RV with a lot of pain and Diane was mad at Rick for not putting an end to his suffer. She knew there was no other choice. Diane saw it happen with her friends.  
When everything began and she was alone with her brother there was this kid called Andrew that lived next to them. They ran away with him along with their mother, but Andrew got bit during their escape. Diane, her brother and mother didn't know what do to, so the kid turned and tried to attack them. It was her brother that shot him in the head. Everytime she remembered that moment, the walker's growls and he's desperate need for flesh, Diane shivered. Just the thought of going back to that day made her feel uncomfortable.

She could tell almost everyone was crying when Andrea buried her sister Amy in the ground. No one said anything and she refused any help from them. Only Dale was able to help her and she didn't want his help either.  
When it all finished, Rick came to Diane to talk to her.  
"How are you feeling?" She asked him just as he was about to speak. He closed his mouth and looked around.  
"This place isn't safe." He confessed.  
"I know." Diane agreed. "What are you planning on doing?"  
Rick glanced over Shane who was alone near the woods. Shane looked at him as well.  
"Shane thinks we should try Fort Benning." Rick informed her. Diane noticed how doubtful he appeared.  
"It's really far from here." She thought out loud. "What do you think?"  
Rick took a few seconds to answer her. "I was thinking about the CDC."  
Center of Disease Control. Diane knew that place. Never went there, but it was a well-known building.  
"And I know you don't agree with me," Rick began to say, "but I think we can find someone to help Jim out there."  
Diane sighed. "You know what I think." She told him. "And I don't think he's gonna make the trip."  
Diane started to walk away.  
"Are you with me?" She heard Rick ask her. Diane looked at him and nodded.  
She saw Lori and Carl sitting next to a little fire. She came towards them and smiled.  
"Are you guys okay?" She asked them. Carl didn't look at her, but Lori smiled.  
"He's a little bit scared." Lori informed her.  
"It's okay, Carl." Diane comforted him, smiling. "Everything's gonna be okay." She looked through camp and saw Rick gathering people. "I think Rick wants to talk to us."  
As she said that, Diane heard Shane call them. She walked besides Lori and Carl and stood next to them. Rick was the one that talked.

"All right, listen up." He began to say. He glanced over at Lori before talking. "We can't stay here. It isn't safe. I know we were all caught off guard last night, but we have to move on."  
Shane approached one veicule and came back with a map. "The goal is to go to the CDC."  
"CDC?" Carol asked. She seemed uncertain.  
"They'll help us there, I'm sure." Rick told them, but not everyone seemed convinced about it.  
"Hey people I know it's scary because we don't know what we're gonna find out there." Shane said, looking at everyone. "But Rick knows what he's talking about he's... he's right. It's our best shot, okay?"  
No one said anything. Diane was surprised he actually agreed with Rick. Shane was talking about Fort Benning... Maybe he changed his mind.  
"We'll gather up in two hours to move." Rick told them, entering the RV. Lori made Carl sit next to Sophia and asked Carol to keep an eye on them.  
Diane looked around and saw Daryl sharpening some sticks he found on the ground. When he saw her approaching him, he stood in the same place, still sharpening the sticks.  
"Did you hear Rick talking about the CDC?" She asked, sitting next to him. Diane noticed him placing himself away from her.  
"Yeah, I did." He answered her.  
"What do you think?"  
Daryl looked at her, putting the sticks in the ground. He picked up two more and started sharpening them. "Nothin'."  
"Come on." She laughed. "You need to have an opinion. Do you think it's a good call?"  
"Since when do ya care about what I think?" He asked her, surprised.  
"I consider you my friend now." She warned him. "So, what do you think?"  
Daryl looked at her in defeat. This girl was really stubborn. He stopped sharpening his sticks. "If we get there and it's full of walkers than it's gonna get ugly." He started. Diane kept looking at him. "Whatever, it's not ma call."  
"Yeah, it's risky." Diane agreed. "And I'm starting to get annoyed about this Jim getting help there thing."  
"Why's that?" He asked, curious.  
"'Cause he's not going to get help. There isn't any help possible." She confessed, sighing. "I've seen people dying and coming back. They're not people. There's no cure, nothing." She glanced over at Daryl, who nodded. "I just hope Rick realises that before Jim turns."  
"We can't do anythin'." Daryl confessed, grabbing his crossbow. He got up and looked at her. "I'm gonna head out, see if I can hunt some squirrels and keep an eye for walkers."  
Diane gave him a quick smile. ""I should go with you. I'm a good hunter."  
"Whatever." He said, shrugging. "Hurry up."  
Diane nodded and headed the RV. She grabbed her bow and was ready to go. She walk towards Rick, who was talking with Daryl.

"It's good to keep an eye on walkers." Rick agreed with Daryl, changing his position to face Diane. "I'm thankful you two know your way in the woods."  
"It's nothin'." Daryl told him, looking at Diane.  
"We'll be back soon." Diane said, shifting her bow in her shoulder and walking towards a trail in the woods. Daryl grabbed her hand.  
"Where are ya goin'?" He asked.  
"If we go this way then we'll find more food." Diane told him. "I know my way through this woods."  
"We need to head that way." Daryl advised her annoyingly pointing in the opposite direction. "Those stupid bastards came that way. Food's important but we have to keep an eye o..."  
"Keep an eye on walkers. Got it." Diane told him, stepping over the grass and making her way towards Daryl's trail.

They entered the woods silently, keeping alert to everything that moved. The trees were still scary for her, making Diane remember the day when she had to run for hours to escape walkers. It sent shivers down her spine, but Diane ignored it. She glanced over Daryl from time to time, maybe expecting him to say something. Diane had the opportunity to really look at him when he was in front of her.  
She knew he was known as the "stupid dumbass redneck" and when she met him for the first time, she truly believed he was like that. But now she couldn't say that about him. Daryl seemed someone else... When he was willing to show a different side of him.  
"I'm recognizing this place." Diane said, her voice breaking the comfortable silence between them. "We're close to my camp."  
"You were alone, right?" He asked, rasing his crossbow.  
"Yeah, no need to worry about that." She told him. Diane still rased her bow as well. In the next second she spotted a squirel in a near by tree. She squeezed Daryl's hand and he flinched at the touch, but Diane didn't give much importance to it. She was used to flinch as well.  
"See that little guy over there?" She asked him, smiling. Diane raised her bow and fired her arrow like Daryl had never seen a girl fire before. He kept looking at her fascinated. When Diane saw that she had hit the animal she turned around and looked at Daryl. When she caught him looking at her, Diane gave him a proud smile.

"That's how it's done." She whispered, hoping he hadn't heard her.  
"It's only one." He warned her. So he did listen to her. Diane bit her tongue and stopped a laugh.  
"It's better than nothing!"  
She saw for the first time Daryl laugh. He had a beautiful smile and Diane kept looking at him with curious eyes. As they kept walking through the woods, she felt the need to know more about him.

"What did you do before all this?" She asked him, clearly making him feel uncomfortable. Daryl shifted his crossbow.  
"We ain't chating now." Daryl warned her.  
"What's wrong with it?" She insisted, rasing her bow. "I can focus at the same time. So... What did you do before all this?"  
Daryl sighed. He really had no way out of this one even if he was feeling really uncomfortable.  
"Nothin' special." He told her. "What 'bout you?"  
"I studied psychology." That seemed to caught him by surprise. "This appocalypse thing didn't let me finish my course... I was really enjoying it though."  
He laughed. "So ya from Atlanta?" He asked.  
"Yeah... I mean, I was staying in some friends house for the summer. Me and my brother, we had mutual friends... And we organized this trip..." Diane smiled as the memories appeared in her mind. "I guess we had to cancel." She sent him a laugh.  
Daryl laughed as well. How could this girl make him laugh this much? "We all had to cancel stuff." Daryl told her, remembering his own memories.  
They spent the next hour searching for squirels and walkers. The woods were so quiet it almost seemed strange that such a big group of walkers appeared in their camp. There weren't any recent footsteps besides their own so the place had been quiet for a long time.  
They found four more squirels hidden in the trees. Daryl and Diane kept glancing at each other, and she was feeling something different coming from him. He seemed different towards her, but maybe it was just her imagination. Although she was feeling different towards him.

"Let's head back." Daryl told her after picking up the dead squirel he killed. "It's getting dark and we're gonna move tonight."  
"Yeah, you're right." She told him, feeling a little bit tired. "We didn't kill a lot of squirels though..."  
"We're good." Daryl told her. "If I was alone I wouldn't have killed this much."  
"Is that a compliment?" She teased him. Daryl looked down, not making eye contact with her. Diane looked at Daryl and walked towards him, becoming serious all of a sudden. Her heart beat faster at that moment. "Daryl, I really wanted to say something to you."

As she said this, Diane stepped closer to him. They were near camp, but she wanted to tell him this without anyone listening to their conversation.  
"What?" He asked with a surprised tone.  
"I think we started with the wrong foot." She told him, looking at his blue eyes. "I... I think I got the wrong idea about you."  
He didn't answer her, so she continued. "I know people shouldn't judge and I did that so... I apologize for that. You were suffering because of your brother and I entered in your space like I've known you forever."  
"It's fine." He told her, feeling uncomfortable. He wasn't good at talking.  
Diane touched slightly his arm and ran her fingers through it. She squeezed his hand and he flinched. "It's okay, Daryl. Really." She looked in his eyes and he seemed uncomfortable.  
"What the hell are ya doin'?" He asked, pushing himself away from her. Diane walked away from him and headed back to camp without saying a word.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Hey everyone! I wanted to upload this chapter as quick as possible because I think I'm going to have fun writing the next one... I haven't decided yet. I can do a comic or a dramatic chapter. You just have to wait and see.**_

_**I want to thank everyone that reviewed and followed my story, I love you all!**_

_**I DO NOT OWN THE WALKING DEAD.**_

* * *

_**Bandage**_

Diane saw multiple eyes staring at her when she appeared from the woods. No one was expecting her to return so soon. She looked around and saw the kids drawing something on a piece of paper while Lori was preparing food. She walked towards her, feeling Daryl's footsteps behind her. His footsteps were quick so she realised he wasn't happy with what happened. She tried to ignore it.

"How was it?" Lori asked both of them when Diane reached her. They saw Daryl passing by them without answering. Diane shook her head and Lori noticed the tension between them. "Something wrong?" She asked again, grabbing the squirrels from Diane's shoulder.  
"Nothing." Diane told her, stepping away from her. She wasn't in the mood for gossip with Lori.

Diane walked around camp to see if someone needed her help. As no one said anything, she sat on a small rock and enjoyed the sun burning her skin. The heat running in her veins made her feel warmer and comfortable. It had been a long time since she went to the beach with her friends.  
Diane laughed at the memories. She remembered walking through the sand with Susan in search for nice guys. They were so stupid at the time. She remembered swimming in the ocean with her friends and staying in the beach until sunset.

Time seemed to pass so quickly. She was eighteen at the time and now she was twenty one. How things had changed... Would she ever guess that she would have to kill Susan? It almost seemed stupid how things had turned out to be.

She heard someone call her. Rick was already waiting for them with Lori and Carl. Shane was standind in a good distance from them, looking at the people who were gathered with them. Diane made her way into their circle, nodding to Rick when he looked at her. She wasn't going to leave them. She was going to the CDC for sure.

Everyone who was ready gathered in their little circle. There was a different silence in the air. An uncertainty about what was ahead of them. Diane noticed Carol's insecurities about taking her daughter to an unknown place, but at the same time, Carol knew it was the right thing to do. It was their best shot.

Daryl was still surprised by Diane's touch. He wasn't used to receive affection from others, so he didn't know how to react towards her behaviour. The best reaction he had was push her away and be cruel to her.  
That way of living was impregnated in. He didn't let anyone get near his gentle character.

"We're leavin' now." Rick announced. "Dale has a map in the RV so he'll go on front. I'll go next with Lori, Carl, Carol and Sophia. Shane's next."  
"Everybody keep your walkies on." Shane advised them. "We'll have to stop at least once for fuel, so keep alert."  
Diane nodded and walked over Dale.  
"Can I go in the RV with you?" She asked gently. "I lost my trunk the same I lost my group..."  
"Sure, no problem." Dale said to her. "Don't mind Jim, but keep an eye on him, maybe he'll need help. He's in pain and most of the time he's unconscious... Glenn and Jacqui are going in the RV with me too, just as Andrea and T-Dog. I think Daryl's going in his trunk."  
"Okay, if there's not a problem with me going with you," Diane began to say innocently. Dale shook his head and smiled. "In that case, thanks." She completed.

Diane looked around camp. She was still wondering about her little conversation with Daryl. The touch she instintively gave him wasn't something to mess things up.  
Either way, she knew that he wasn't okay with it. She noticed how he flinched at her touch, and that made her remember when she flinched at other people's touch. She was about sixteen when that began to happen and it never disappeared.

"Morales is not going with us." Sophia whispered to her. "Are you going with us?"  
Diane smiled at the little girl. She stroked Sophia's hair. "Yeah, I am."  
Sophia smiled at her and walked over her mother. Carol smiled at Diane. "They want to be with their people. I guess I understand." Carol completed, organising her clothes.  
"It's normal." Diane agreed. "They want to be with their family, I get it. Although it gets more dangerous."  
"Shane's giving them a walkie, just in case."

Diane looked at the little family. They seemed determined to go on their own. She turned to Carol again. "I don't think it's going to be necessary."  
Carol nodded and returned to her clothes.  
Diane walked over the RV and saw Jim laying on the bed uncomfortably. She sighed. It wasn't fair that he had to suffer so much. His eyes were closed but it was obvious he was still in a lot of pain. Maybe it was better if he kept unconscious.

She sat down and looked outside. Diane glanced over Daryl, who was preparing his trunk. Suddenly, she began feeling tears fell over her cheeks. All this moving reminded her of her group and the good times she had with them. Diane sensed that this group had strong relationships, just like hers. The way Carol took care of everyone's clothes and food, reminded her of her dear friend Susan. How Shane and Rick were so careful and good with guns, reminded her of her brother Sean and her best friend Jonah. The names of the people from her group popped in her head: Susan, Jonah, Teresa, Linda, Jimmy, Joseph. Sean. The last name made her lungs scream for air, like she was drowning. She really missed her brother and her friends.

She kept sitting there, looking to her new group. If something was to happen to them she would be completely crushed. They were her group now, and that meant she was going to take care of them the best way she could.

Diane wiped her tears and took a deep breath. They were entering the RV when she was already calm.  
"We're going now." Dale informed her, starting the engine. "Do have everything you need?"  
_No_, Diane thought to herself. She smiled gently at the older man. "Yeah, let's go."  
Glenn sat next to her, reading some books that were in the table. Andrea entered the bathroom and stayed there for a long time, while T-Dog helped Dale with the maps. Jacqui walked by her, sitting next to Jim.

Diane sat quietly in the same place, looking at the trees slowly disappearing, replaced by the long roads of the city. They were still far from the CDC. She let her thoughts wonder to the passed, as she recalled a conversation she had with her brother when she was sixteen.

_"Hey." Her brother greeted her, sitting in her bed. "Mom told me what happened."_  
_"So what?" Diane asked, brushing away her tears. _  
_"I'm worried about you, Diane." He warned her, uncertain she knew how serious this was. "It could of been worse."_  
_"But it wasn't, so back off." She told him angrily. "It's only four stitches. I'm gonna be fine."_  
_"What matters isn't how many stitches you had." Sean raised his tone. "What matters was what you did. It's not normal."_  
_"Do you think I don't know that?" She asked, getting up. She reached for her wrist, showing it wrapped in a bandage. "Do you think I like this? Feeling like shit everyday?"_

_She was yelling, but it didn't matter. Sean walked over to her, wrapping protectively his arms around her. "I know how you feel, sis." He confessed. "I miss dad too. I know it's been hard for you, for all of us." Diane began to shake. Tears fell down her cheeks as she lost control of her breathing. She was gasping and sobbing uncontrollably. Sean grabbed her arms and huggeed her one more time. "You're going to be fine, you hear me?" Sean told her. "Mom's worried, I'm worried. Jonah is worried."_  
_"He's been trying to call me." Diane was abble to say. "I d... I don't know what to say."_  
_"Let me talk to him, he's going to understand."_  
_"I hope so."_

_Sean looked at her eyes and smiled. "Come on, little sis. You're so strong, you know? Everything's going to be fine."_

"Jim!" Jacqui's voice made Diane jump. She was deeply embraced in her thoughts she didn't realise Jacqui had been taking care of Jim since they left camp. She walked over to Diane and the others.  
"He's not going to make the trip. His bones are like glass." Jacqui warned them.  
"You know what he asked to Rick." T-Dog remembered them.  
"What?" Diane asked with surprise. "What did he ask?"  
"To be left behind." Glenn told her. Diane glanced at all of them before turning her back on Jim. He was coughing blood and seemed very uncomfortable in the bed. He looked at her with pain and desperate in his eyes.  
"Maybe we should talk to Rick." Diane observed after turning her back on Jim again.

Dale stopped carefully the RV and stepped out of it, glancing over Rick. They were in a road that Diane didn't recognize. She saw Daryl coming out of his trunk with his crossbow on his shoulder. She smiled at him, feeling comfortable with his presence. He looked away and walked towards Rick and Shane.  
"What's going on?" Rick asked them. Shane stood next to him with his gun ready to shoot. Diane brushed her tears from her face. She noticed Daryl looking at her. She blushed a little, feeling embarrassed.  
"Jim's not going to make it." Jacqui told them, tears in her eyes.  
"His bones are like glass." Diane completed, noticing her voice seemed insecure and scared. She breathed calmly. "You didn't tell me he wanted to be left behind."  
"It didn't matter because I wasn't doin' it." Rick warned her, looking around him. He looked at Shane. "What do you think?"  
"I don't know, man." Shane passed his hand through his curly hair. "I mean, leaving him like that?"  
"It's what he wants." Diane reminded him. "I'm not saying I think it's the right thing to do, but do we have a choice?" Silence embraced them, so she kept talking. "He won't make the trip."  
Rick studied her face for a few seconds. Shane didn't say anything and Jacqui was to emotional to say anything.  
"I think we know what he wants now." Dale broke the silence with a sad look on his face.

Rick stood still for a few seconds. He glanced over Lori and Carl who were carefully waiting for his call. Shane was looking at him. Everyone was looking for him for answers, and Diane noticed it. He looked at all of them before talking.  
"We'll do what Jim wants." That's all he said before entering the RV with Shane. Dale joined them, as well as Jacqui. Diane studied the place and saw that there were a few trees near by. She glanced at Glenn and pointed at them.  
"We could leave him there." She said with a sad tone.  
"I can't even imagine..." Glenn began to say. He shook his head. "I never thought I'd have to do this."  
"Me neither." Diane agreed, squeezing his hand. All she could think about was shooting her friend Susan in the head. She had to do it when her friend was bit in the shoulder. The memories came back, but she shook her head. It wasn't the time for thinking about it.

A few seconds later, Rick and Shane got out of the RV with Jim. Diane pointed at some trees near by and they decided it was a good place to leave him. There was pain in Rick's eyes that made Diane think if he was sure about what he was doing. But it was his call and Jim wanted it. He was lucid.

Diane walked with them, keeping herself close to Glenn. She started to become fond of him and Dale. They were really nice to her and she liked their company. She glanced at the others and saw how emotional they all were. She didn't have any more tears to dump.

Rick and Shane placed Jim against one tree. He smiled and commented something that Diane didn't hear, but she kept her distance. She didn't know him and she was already shaken up by the memories that popped in her mind.  
Shane talked to Jim, as well as Rick. They wanted to give Jim a gun, but he refused.

When everyone said goodbye to him, they gathered at the cars. He looked at them with a smile. Diane didn't know what to say, so when she entered the RV, there was an awkward silence in the air. Glenn was still looking at Jim through the window. Diane didn't say anything to him.

The road to the CDC took less time than she actually thought. Dale was driving the RV carefully but they arrived to the building in one and half hour.

When she stepped out of the RV, everything she saw was bodies on the ground. They seemed dead, shot in the head by military power.  
Still, Diane kept her bow on her shoulder and the gun on her hand. Rick and Shane were on front, guiding them through the bodies.  
The kids looked scared and Lori and Carol were doing their best to calm them and prevent them from screaming.  
Rick ran into the doors of the building, thinking it would open right away. But he was wrong. The doors were shut and there was no way of entering. They had to be opened on the inside.

Daryl was shouting at Rick because he had lead them to a dead end. But Diane couldn't believe that they had spent so much time believing someone was in there to help them, that now it was simply gone.  
Walkers were everywhere and Glenn screamed at Rick. He began shooting them at the same time Daryl shot an arrow through a walkers skull. Diane raised her gun and shot a few walkers as well.

"The camera!" Rick shouted, making everyone freeze. "The camera, it moved."  
Everyone looked at him with uncertainty. Rick stood there, looking at the small camera in the left corner of the door.  
He kept screaming and kicking the door, until Shane grabbed him and made him walk to the cars.  
Walkers were everywhere now and they had to change their minds about where they were going. Shane insisted on Fort Benning, but Diane wasn't convinced.  
"It's to far!" She screamed, raising her gun again at the walkers.

At the precise moment she said that, the doors from the CDC opened. They all turned their back and looked at the light that was coming from inside it. They stood there speechless, as a new and safe home appeared in front of them.


	7. Chapter 7

_**I had fun writing this chapter because it's really something I didn't know if should happen or not. But we're in chapter seven and I wanted to show something different to you, so I really hope you like it.**_

_**In this very precise moment is passing a TWD marathon on Fox and I'm really enjoying seeing episode 1 from Season 3... Many things happened since then!**_

_**Anyway, here's another chapter. I want to thank everyone that follows my story and everyone that liked it, it means a lot to me! I want to thank **__**momoXvolturi**__** again for your review! I know it was Lori but at the time I didn't remember to say that... Anyway, I hope you like this chapter!**_

* * *

_**The Comfortable Home**_

The doors opened slowly, drawing everyone's attention. Diane turned her back on the walkers and looked at it. She lost her breath for a few seconds.  
The light was so intense she couldn't see anything. It turns out Rick was right. Someone was in there and opened the door for them.  
She was still catching her breath when Daryl told her to get inside. He was throwing arrows at the walkers that kept coming. He pushed her through the door noticing she wasn't moving. Diane couldn't believe that they had actually found a secure place. It seemed like a dream. She had no words to describe the anxiety she felt when the doors opened. She wanted to feel joy and happiness for such a long time, that when it hit her, Diane didn't recognize the feelings.

Rick guided them through the entrance. It was quiet and abandoned. Whoever opened the door wasn't there. She looked around and saw papers on the ground next to chairs and tables spread through the entrance. It appeared that there had been a riot in there.

Daryl and T-Dog were the last ones to enter. Diane looked at him and caught her breath while rested on the wall behind her. He kept looking at her, feeling tired and exhausted as well.

Rick kept walking towards another entrance when an unknown man stood in front of them with a gun in his hands. He didn't move.

"Careful." He told them, cautiously looking at them. "Anyone bit?"  
"One of our group was." Rick informed him, with his hands in the air.  
"What do you want?" The man asked without hesitation. Diane swallowed hard.  
"A chance." Rick answered, walking towards the man. He lowered his weapon.  
"That's asked a lot these days." The man noticed, walking in their direction. "I'm Dr. Edwin Jenner."  
"Rick Grimes."  
Diane walked in their direction as well, guardind her weapon. She noticed how tensed they all were. The man noticed it too.

"Once that door's closed it stays closed." She heard him say.

For the first time in a long time, Diane actually felt safe. She only wished her brother and friends were alive to see what she was seeing. She remembered how Teresa never lost hope of finding another group or someone who knew something about the disease. Teresa was full of hope and faith. Everything happened for a reason for her.  
The memories made her shake a bit. Diane shook her head.

They entered in an elevator and stood there waiting to reach the right floor. It almost seemed ironic. They had been out there killing walkers and running away from creatures that could eat them alive and now they were awkwardly looking at each other's eyes in an elevator.

They reached the right floor in a few seconds and Dr. Jenner told them to follow him.

She looked at the place in disbelief. How could these be real? They had a roof, room, and beds. She sighed in relief.

"If you use the shower, go easy on the hot water." He warned them. Everyone gasped.

"Hot water..." Glenn repeated, a big smile spread across his face. Diane let out a laugh and everyone looked at her, laughing too.  
"I don't know for how long I haven't taken a shower with hot water." She whispered to Lori, smiling.  
"I know, right?" The woman agreed with her, happiness across her face.  
Diane laughed at her again and entered in a room close to Lori's. She noticed how Daryl chose a room away from most people, especially her. She took one last glance at him, determined that she would talk to him after taking that wonderful shower.

She entered the room and gasped. There was a couch near a shelf full of books and on the right side of the room there was a couple's bed that seemed so comfortable. Diane placed her small hand on her chest. She felt so happy about being there... If only her brother was with her.

She placed her gun on the bedside table and her bow on the bed. Diane noticed that there were towels on the wardrobe near her bed and she took them and walked over the bathroom.  
When she entered it, she looked around and saw how beautiful it was. The shower was big and the bathroom smelled really nice. Diane picked up a bottle of shampoo that smelled like jasmine. She missed the smell of shampoo, and soap, and everything that meant home and hygiene. Diane smiled again.

When she started to take off her shirt, she looked carefully at the mirror. Her eyes landed on her wrists and her body shivered. Memories of the passed ran through her mind again. The biggest scar on her right wrist caught her attention. _I'll carry this until the day I die_, Diane thought to herself.

She looked over her shoulder and saw another group of scars. She felt tears in her eyes, but forced herself to think about something else.  
She took of her jeans and threw her clothes on the ground. She turned on the faucet and waited until the water was hot.  
Diane entered the shower and immediately felt the hot water running down her body. It was an incredbile sensation. The hot water burning her fragile skin, making her shiver from her foot toes to her head.  
Diane smiled at herself. She never felt so happy for taking a hot shower. She began singing old songs she used to play on her guitar. She missed playing it too. Her soft voice sounded horrible. Diane was a terrible singer. But she kept singing because it made her feel like home.

She placed the shampoo on her hand and smelled it. It smelled so nice. The feeling of rubbing her short hair with the shampoo was incredible. Everything was incredible.  
When she finished her shower, Diane came out of the bathroom and chose some other clothes that were in the wardrobe. She chose a black top and covered her arms and shoulders with a soft jacket. She dressed some white shorts that made her feel like she was ready to go to bed. She felt so comfortable.  
In spite of thinking it wasn't a good idea to use shorts, she didn't care. She felt like home and she wanted to feel like that as long as she could.

Someone knocked on the door. "Diane?" Carol's gentle voice called her. When she saw Diane with her new pyjama, her smile was even bigger. "Dinner's ready."  
"Let's go then." Diane said to her, walking towards the older woman's direction. "How was the shower?" Diane asked, smiling. The smell from her hair was so pleasant. Diane felt like a completely different person.  
"So good." Carol's voice didn't deny it. Diane laughed.  
"I know. I really missed this."  
"So did all of us."  
They arrived at the kitchen and Diane saw all of them sitting and chating like good old friends. She smiled at them when they all greeted her with a big smile. Andrea seemed distant, and so did Shane. Diane tried not to think about that and enjoy her dinner.

"I hope you all didn't start without me!" She shouted, sitting next to Daryl. He looked at her but didn't say anything. Maybe she shouldn't be sitting next to him. She looked around and all the other sits were occupied.  
"Of course not!" Carl lied, chewing on a piece of meat. Diane laughed at him.  
"Look at all these food!" Sophia shouted too, agitated. She let out a laugh and started playing with Carl.  
"Looks like paradise or something." Lori agreed, having a glass of wine.  
"These is so good." Diane confessed, tasting the food. Dale offered her a glass of wine. "I don't drink, Dale. But thank you anyway."  
"Oh, come on!" Glenn yelled. Suddenly His face got serious and he looked down, like he had remembered something. Glenn looked at her with his eyes widen. "Maybe you're right. I shouldn't be d..."  
"Not you, little man." Daryl interrupted, with a bottle of whiskey in his hands. Diane laughed at the sight. "I wanna see how red your face can get."  
Everyone laughed at his comment and so did Glenn. He actually drank a glass of wine right after Daryl saying that to him.  
Diane kept eating and drinking her juice. She felt like a twelve year old for not drinking wine with them, but she didn't like the taste of alcohol.  
They stayed like that for what looked like hours, just eating and drinking. Glenn and Daryl were obviously drunk, or at least a little bit drunk. Carl got to taste wine, but he clearly didn't like it. It remembered Diane the time she wanted to taste beer, and she hated it. She was about Carl's age at the time.  
Everyone was laughing and talking about things that happened to them. Diane even got the chance to tell them about the time she and Jonah stole comic books from a store when they were fourteen and the owner of the place chased them through the entire neighborhood with a baseball bat.  
"I think I shouldn't be telling this story!" She was abble to say between her laughs. "There's a cop in the table!"  
Rick couldn't stop laughing. Everyone was making fun or her, but not in a bad way. Even Daryl was laughing.  
"Stealing comic books, man?" T-Dog told her. "Come on!"  
"We were fourteen!" Diane yelled. "We didn't have the money!"

They kept laughing and talking about embarassing stories when Shane stepped in. He kept asking Dr. Jenner about what happened to the place, and the doctor explained them that most people opted out. Diane shivered.  
All labs were trying to find a cure for this disease, but Diane noticed how vague Dr. Jenner was. He probably didn't know anything and everyone was asking questions for which he didn't have an answer.

The dinner finished when everyone started to feel sleepy. Glenn was dizzy so Jacqui and T-Dog helped him walk into his bedroom. Lori and Carl went to their own room. However, Rick didn't go with them. He stood there talking with Dr. Jenner.

Dale was helping Andrea to overcome her sister's death. She appeared to be struggling really hard for finding a reason to keep going. Diane knew she had to say something to her. When she saw Daryl entering his own room, Diane wished he wasn't going to sleep. She still needed to talk to him.

Diane approached Dale and Andrea.  
"Is everything okay?" She asked, putting herself on her knees near Andrea. Then she placed her small hand on the woman's back.  
"No." Dale answered her, getting up. "She's not feeling so well."  
"Why don't you go lay down?" Diane proposed him, smiling. "I'll call you when I leave."  
Dale nodded and left the bathroom. Andrea looked at her with surprise.

"What's the point?" She asked her, throwing herself away from the toilet. "I mean, there's nothing left."  
"Andrea..." Diane began to say. "You can't think like that, okay? That's not what matters."  
"Then what is it, Diane?"

The girl smiled and remembered her brother's speech to her. "I can't tell you everything's going to be okay in the end. Who could?" Diane wondered, looking at Andrea. "But I can tell you that now is the time for us to unite and fight together."  
Andrea placed her head on her knees.  
"I'm terribly sorry for your sister." Diane told her, getting up. "When I lost my dad, my world seemed so... empty. He was really important to me. But if I can tell you anything, I'll tell you this: There's always something worth fighting for."

Andrea didn't seem convinced but Diane left the bathroom anyway. There wasn't anything else she was abble to say to her. Diane called Dale and he reached for Andrea quickly, dragging her away from the bathroom to her room.  
Diane looked at Daryl's door. It wasn't shut, so she figured he wasn't sleeping. The next thing she knew, her feet were guiding her to his room. She didn't stop the urge to be with him.

His room was just like hers. The same couch, the same floor and the same walls. She found him laying on the couch with a bottle of whiskey on his right hand. When Daryl noticed someone was in the room, he looked out of the corner of his left eye to see who was coming.  
Diane smiled at him and he smiled too. Daryl had definitely drank more than he should.

He sat up on the couch so she could have room to sit as well. When she did, her eyes floated back at his, noticing the beautiful blue colour that belonged to him.

"If you don't say anything than I'll believe that you don't mind having me in here." She said, breaking the silence.  
"I don't mind." He admited, drinking a sip of whiskey from the bottle.  
"You shouldn't be drinking so much, Daryl." Diane advised him. She reached for the bottle but he threw his arm away from her.  
"Ya can't tell me what to do, missy."  
"I'm just saying you shouldn't drink that much." She insisted. Daryl placed the bottle on the floor.  
"Happy?" He asked.  
"Much better." Diane teased. She laughed at him and then sighed. "This is place is... different."  
"Better than bein' out there."  
"I know..." She let her mind wonder. Diane noticed how close they were to each other. Their legs were touching and she was surprised he wasn't flinching at her touch. Diane touched his shoulder slightly, making Daryl face her. His blue eyes looking at hers. The green for Diane's eyes provoked him and he felt his body tense up. "It's been a while since I've been so comfortable."

When he didn't answer, Diane felt the urge to come closer to him. She was pratically on his lap, her right leg resting on his left leg. He looked at her with an intense look and Diane bit her lip.

Diane placed her hand on his face, feeling him flinch for a second. Daryl kept looking at her without saying a word. Diane approached him carefully, until their foreheads touched.  
Her nose was touching his and Diane felt his breathing in her mouth. He smelled of whiskey and some other smell that made her feel excited. He really was beautiful.  
Daryl was frozen and intoxicated with her touch. Her breathing was on his mouth and he felt the urge to grabb her in that moment. But he didn't know how, so he kept still on his place. Diane approached him again and her lips brushed his. The desire was to much and Daryl could feel his muscles shake. He was really nervous at that moment.  
She kept brushing her lips on his, trying to figure out if she should kiss him or not. Her hand rested on his hair, pushing him closer.

Just as she decided to kiss him, Daryl got up and mumbled something. He took the bottle of whiskey with him and left the room, leaving Diane alone. She felt tears burning her eyes as she began to sob. The feeling of almost kissing him was still there, but now she felt crushed.  
This was definitely not a good idea. Even if Daryl was a little bit drunk, he still had the impulse to run away from her. Or maybe he wasn't that interested in her.

Diane left his room and looked around. Daryl was nowhere to be seen, so she cuddled in her own bed alone, waiting for something good finally happen in her life.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Fire**_

The group had the best night since they abandoned their homes. Diane slept comfortably in her new bed and when she woke up her body was more relaxed than ever. However, the events from the previous night popped in her mind and made her stare at the floor for several minutes. Would Daryl act differently towards her after what happened?  
"What was I thinking?" Diane asked herself while picked up clothes from the wardrobe. She picked up a black tshirt that had the right sleeve drooping over her shoulder. The trousers were of a dark blue that fit her perfectly.  
Diane looked herself in the mirrow. She put a black jacket on top of her tshirt and brushed her hair. Diane decided to make a ponytail and when she finished Diane headed towards the room where they had been the previous night.

When she opened her door to join the others, Daryl was passing by her door. He looked at her and stopped walking, chewing on his thumb.

"Daryl... Good morning." Diane said, blushing. She clearly felt embarassed about what happened.  
"Good mornin'." He answered her. Daryl started to walk away but Diane grabbed his arm.  
"About last night, I..."  
"I ain't talkin' 'bout it." Daryl advised her coldly.  
"What do you mean, you ain't talking about it?" Diane asked, not believing what she was hearing. We should talk about it and not ignore it, it will only make things worse."  
"There's nothin' to talk 'bout, Diane." He answered quickly, looking at her eyes. "Just leave it be."  
Diane looked at his eyes. She was hurting and he knew it, but the only way of expression he knew was that one. He didn't know how to be nice to her and show her his feelings.  
"What the hell is wrong with you?" She yelled, her voice cracking as she spoke. "What do you think that was, Daryl?"  
He didn't respond. Diane held back tears and passed him with a sad face.  
It he didn't want to remember what happened, then he wasn't okay with it. Daryl was probably reggreting everything.  
Diane made her way quietly throw the hallway, not looking back. She couldn't face him and she wasn't going to say anything to him.  
Diane walked in the room just about time to see Glenn sit down on a chair, with his head on his hands. T-Dog was cooking and the rest of the people were sitting in the same place as the night before.

"Good morning!" T-Dog greeted her with a smile on his face. Diane smiled at him.  
"Hey." She tried to sound enthusiastic. "Seems you already did breakfast."  
"You have to taste it." T-Dog advised her, leaving a plate for her in the table.  
Diane laughed and sit next to Glenn. As she looked at him, Glenn kept is head on his hands. She rubbed his back with her left hand.  
"Are you okay?" Diane asked, putting her head next to his.  
"No." Glenn was able to say.  
"He's hungover. From last night." Carl told her with a childish smile on his face. His dad seemed hungover too and Carl was really enjoying it. Diane laughed at his excitement, just in time to see Daryl enter the room.

He sat in a corner of the table, looking at his plate without saying anything. He grabbed the fork with his left hand and ate in silence.

Diane ate her breakfast as well, remembering what happened last night. She couldn't deny the feelings she was beginning to feel for Daryl. It was inevitable and the more she hide it, the worst it got. But Daryl didn't seem to feel the same way about her. His eyes told her that he felt insecure about what happened, but at the same time she felt that he didn't want to give her what she really wanted.

Maybe if Diane wasn't so insecure about herself, she would have risked something and kissed him when she had the chance. Diane took a long time to actually bring her lips to his and when she did, it was too late. Daryl was already gone, escaping whatever that was.  
She played with the food on her plate, suddenly feeling full. Diane made her way towards T-Dog and gave him the rest of the food.  
"You don't like it?" He asked surprised. "Hell, I thought you would."  
"It's not that, really." Diane hastened to say. "I'm not that hungry."

T-Dog still didn't believe her, but as Diane made her way towards her place in the table again, T-Dog kept his mouth shut and cooked the rest of the food. Lori and Carol joined them and Sophia sat next to Carl. The two of them were making fun of Glenn and Rick. Those two didn't seem to notice, but everyone was laughing with the kids.

When Dr. Jenner appeared, everyone cheered and smiled at him. How could they not? He saved their lifes for letting them in. If it wasn't for him, they would be dead. Diane smiled at him too, raising her glass.

"Good morning." He greeted them without much enthusiasm. He sat away from them, drinking a glass of milk. Andrea was the one to intervene and ask him about the disease.  
"We didn't come here for the eggs." She told him, feeling multiple eyes on her. Andrea kept looking at the doctor, determined to get answers.  
"Come with me." Dr. Jenner asked them politely.

They got up from their seats and followed the man without questioning. Andrea was in the front with the doctor and Dale. She seemed really interested in knowing what had happened to start all this, but Diane knew why she felt the need to know so much. Andrea was trying to have a reason to keep fighting and move on, even if it meant risk her life every day.

The group walked through the hall in silence. Diane walked next to Glenn, squeezing his hand a few moments to know if he was okay. Glenn would only nod and bring his right hand to his forehead, mumbling some words that Diane didn't hear.

She looked behind her and saw Daryl alone, walking with them. He was the last one, walking around without confronting anyone. She noticed his blue eyes were darker and deeper. He looked tired, like he didn't sleep at all the previous night. When he sensed her eyes on him, he looked up, locking his eyes with hers. They looked at each other for what felt like minutes, until Diane stepped in someone.  
She looked in front of her and saw Shane angrily looking at her.

"I'm sorry." She apologized, embarrassed. Diane didn't look at Daryl anymore, since they gathered in what seemed like a room full of computers, desks, and papers. Diane looked around and saw a gigantic screen in her right.

"Vi, scann the test subject 19's video." Dr. Jenner ordered to the computer. It answered one second later, turning on the big screen.

Everyone looked at it curiously. Diane looked around and saw a clock counting down. _What the hell is that?_ She asked herself. Before she could ask Jenner what that was, he started talking.

"Test Subject 19 was someone that got infected and volunteered for us to record the process." Jenner informed them, lost in the images. The screen showed someone's brain detailed with the developing of the process. It recorded from the moment the person was infected until the moment they died. "You can see that the impulses become slower and fewer until the brain shuts down." Jenner informed them.

The next second, the patient was dead. A bullet went through it's skull and the brain shut down completely. Diane shivered at the thought.  
"What was that?" Lori asked with her hand on her chest.  
"He shot his patient in the head." Andrea guessed, looking at Dr. Jenner. "Didn't you?"

Jenner didn't respond. He looked at the screen again and continued talking. "The ressurrection process depends on each person. It can take hours, days, weeks." His eyes were locked in the screen. Diane suspected he knew the patient.

Diane looked over the big screen, noticing small impulses in the brain. It was located in the area of the brain that makes you move and walk.  
"That's not possible." Diane whispered. Dr. Jenner looked at her. "It... It makes them move, right?"  
"Yes. It..."  
"It restarts the brain?" Andrea asked, unbelieving.  
"You tell me." Jenner seemed fascinated by it. He looked at the screen again and turned his back on them. "It basically makes you get up and move but the part that makes you who you are... The 'you' part? That doesn't come back."

Everyone gasped. If anyone had the slightest doubt if people continued to be themselves after turning into walkers, now was the time to clarify them. They weren't the same and that was obvious.

"You don't have any idea of what this is, do you?" Andrea kept insisting, completely desperate for an answer.  
"It can be anything... It can be viral..." Jenner began to say.  
"Or the wrath of God?" Jacqui interrupted him, tears in her eyes.  
"And there's that." Jenner agreed.

Everyone looked at each other. Diane rubbed Carl's hair, comforting him. He probably didn't understand what it really meant, but he was scared. And so was Sophia. Carol grabbed her in a hug.

"I'm sorry but..." Dale broke the silence, walking towards the clock Diane had noticed. She walked with him. "That clock." Dale warned them, looking at Dr. Jenner. "It's counting backwards. What happens at zero?"

Jenner was caught off guard and for a few seconds, Diane saw confusion and hesitation in his eyes. "The generators run out of fuel." He finally said, walking away.

"Diane, come here!" Rick yelled at her. He was gathered with Shane, Glenn and T-Dog. Diane ran in their direction. "We have to check the fuels, see how the situation is." Rick informed her.  
"What about Daryl?" Diane asked him, unable to hide her concern for him. Rick looked at him for a brief second.  
"He's not going to do anything." Shane answer for Rick, coming near her. "And if he does, I'll punch him in the face before he moves."  
"It won't come to that." Rick insisted. "I'll go with Shane to the fuels on that corridor."

Glenn and Diane went alone to the fuels on the right corridor. T-Dog said he would go check on the group before returning to them. Rick and Shane went on their way to the left corridor.

"How are you feeling?" Diane asked Glenn before entering the room. The sound of machines working was distant, so they still had to walk for a few minutes. They both had flashlights pointed high in the air to brighten the room.  
"My head hurts and I just want to lay down." Glenn mumbled to her. "And you?"  
"I could be better."  
Glenn took that with surprise. He wasn't used to see her upset. "What's wrong?"  
Diane sighed. "It's about Daryl."

Glenn stopped walking. He was surprised that Diane even talked to Daryl. He looked at her with suspicion in his eyes. Diane started walking, grabbing his hand to follow her.  
"It's just..." She wondered, letting go of his hand and looking at the ground. "We almost kissed last night.  
Glenn gasped. "What?"  
"Yeah, I know." Glenn was speechless, so Diane kept telling him what happened. "He was a little bit drunk, so I think that's why he let me sit next to him. We were talking and the next minute our lips slightly touched."  
"That's... Weird." Glenn was able to say. "I didn't know you see him... Like that."  
"I didn't know as well." Diane sighed again. They were almost reaching the fuels. "I guess he's different, you know? Like he wants to give you this cold and distant appearance but deep down, he's gentle and caring."  
"He's neven been like that to me." Glenn insisted, holding her hand to follow him. "We're here."

Diane let her thoughts disappear for a few minutes. They were looking at the fuels and they didn't look good. They were almost out.  
"Hey guys." T-Dog greeted them, walking quickly to reach them. "How does it look?"  
"Not good." Diane commented, pointing her flashlight to the fuels. There were two of them still working and the others were empty. "They're almost out."  
"We should go." T-Dog told them, walking away. "Rick and Shane are waiting."

Diane, Glenn and T-Dog made their way silently to the computer's room. Dr. Jenner was in there looking at the computer. Diane noticed how he was shaved, his hair was combed and he had put on a tie. Jenner was looking at a picture that Diane couldn't see who it was.  
Daryl was in there too, looking at the big screen. Rick and Shane stood next to him and when they saw Diane, Glenn and T-Dog coming, they walked in their direction.  
"There's only two fuels left." Glenn informed them, sitting on a chair.  
"And their almost out." Diane completed, looking at the clock. "When that thing reaches zero, the fuels are out. All of them."  
"Yeah, I know." Rick said, looking at Dr. Jenner. "The fuels were out on our side."  
He looked at Dr. Jenner again and sighed. "Diane, go get the others. We're going now."

Diane ran to the rooms to call them. Jenner never told them the fuels were running out and that made her feel angry. Everything seemed to be fine. More than fine. She had a bed, food, water, shelter. Diane didn't want to leave, but the situation demanded them to go on their way.  
The hallway seemed bigger than before. Diane ran into Rick's room just in time to see Lori checking on the air conditioner.  
"We have to go." Diane told her. Carl was with her too. "Rick wants to talk to us."  
"I'll call the others." Lori told her. "You should go."

Diane went to her room and grabbed her knife and bow. _In case it's necessary_, she thought to herself before running towards Rick and the others.  
When she got there, the others were all gathered. They were fast and the computer's voice was saying something:

"H.I.T.s - high-impulse thermobaric fuel-air explosive consists of a two-stage aerosol ignition which produces a blast wave of significantly greater power and duration than any other known explosive except nuclear. The vacuum-pressure effect ignites the oxygen between 5,000 and 6,000 degrees and is used when the greatest loss of life and damage to structures is desired."

Diane didn't understand what that meant. Explosives? She put her knife on it's pocket and throw the bow on the ground.  
She ran towards Jenner.  
"What does that mean?" She yelled. Rick grabbed her by the waist, preventing her from attacking the doctor.  
"Diane!" He screamed, but she didn't listen.  
"Explosives?!" She asked him, punching a box next to her. "You can let go of me, Rick."  
Diane tried to calm herself, just in time to see Dr. Jenner stand up and look at all of them.  
"It sets the air on fire. No pain. An end to sorrow, grief, regret. Everything." He informed them, his eyes sparkling.

"Everybody get your stuff, now!" Rick ordered, running to the door. "We're getting out of here."

Suddenly, the doors close. Jenner sealed the doors, keeping everyone locked inside. Everyone gasped and the kids started crying. Carol grabbed her daughter, crying with her.  
"There's not point on running." Jenner said, sitting down again. Diane noticed Daryl and Shane trying to chop down the door with an axe, but it's not working. "There is no hope." Jenner says. "There never was - this is our extintion event."

When Shane hears him say that, he lets out a scream and runs towards Dr. Jenner as Diane did. However, Shane points a shot gun on the doctor's face, feeling extremely angry and out of control.  
"Shane!" Everyone screams, trying to get him out of it. "Shane!"

Gun shots are heard. Shane is shooting the computers of the room, letting out screams. Carol grabbs her daughter even tigher and Lori protects Carl. Diane feels someone grabbing her protectively to the ground, arms wrapped around her body. She doesn't know who it is, and when Rick wrestles the gun from Shane's hand and slams him to the ground, Diane gets up and sees Daryl next to her. He looks at her and runs to the door again, kicking it with an axe.  
Diane turns her attention to Rick and Shane.

"You done now?" Rick asks Shane. He's laying on the ground breathing heavily. Rick waits for his answer, but Shane only asks for help.  
"We all are." Shane responds, looking at Dr. Jenner.

Everyone's silent. Carol keeps brushing her little girl's hair. Sophia and Carl look around each other, not knowing what to do. Everyone's feeling desperate and Diane feels tears in her cheeks.  
"You do want this. Last night you said you knew it was just a matter of time before everybody you loved was dead." Jenner says to Rick. The group looks at him in disbelief.  
"What?" Diane asked, feeling betrayed.  
"You really said that? After all your big talk?" Shane asks, his hands into fists. Diane feels everyone betrayed, just like her. She glances over to Jenner, who is quietly on his seat. She finally sees the picture he was holding. It was a woman.  
"I had to keep hope alive, didn't I?" Rick answered, feeling nervous himself. Everyone gasped.

"There is no hope. There never was." Jenner repeats himself, looking at the picture. Diane walks in his direction silently.  
"There's always hope. Maybe it won't you, maybe not be here. But somebody somewhere..." Rick began to say.  
"What part of "everything is gone" do you not understand?" Andrea cut him off.  
"Listen to your friend. She gets it." Jenner pointed at Andrea, smiling slightly.

Diane came in his direction, grabbing the picture from his table. "Test Subject 19?" She quickly asks, looking in his eyes. Jenner becomes serious and tries to grab the picture. "She was your wife, right?"  
He didn't respond. Jenner looked around himself. Everyone was expecting for an answer.  
"She deserved better."He finally said. "I'm nothing, but she... She was special."  
"I'm sorry." Diane said calmly. She put the picture in his table again.

"Your wife didn't have a choice you do," Rick pleads, preventing Diane from saying anything. "That's all we want: a choice!"

Jenner looks in his eyes and grabs something from his table. In the next second, the door Daryl was trying helplessly to break, opens. He looks at everyone and keeps steady. "Come on!" He screams. Diane rans in his direction, just like everyone else. She turns her attention to the group just in time to see Jenner whispering something to Rick. She looks around and sees Andrea and Jacqui in their place, without moving.

Diane stops running. "Andrea?" She asks gently. Diane tries to walk in their direction, but someone grabs her. "Jacqui?"  
"Just go!" Jacqui screams, tears in her cheeks.  
"Andrea!" Diane screams, trying to reach her. "Let me go!"

When she turns around to see who was grabbing her, Daryl's face meets hers. He looks at the door desperately.  
"We have to go!" He screams, taking her in his arms. Diane lets tears run down her face.  
"No!" She screams. "I have to help them, this is not the way!"  
"I ain't leavin' you in there!" Daryl answers hers, still holding Diane in his arms.

She struggles to run into Andrea and Jacqui's direction, but Daryl is stronger than her. Diane eventually stops fighting, looking at the hallway behind her helplessly. She lets the tears run through her face, without saying anything.

Both of them reach the group in seconds, just in time to see Carol run in Rick's direction.  
"Rick, I have something that might help." She said, delievering something to Rick from her shaky hands.  
"Carol, I don't think a nail file's gonna do it." Shane says sarcastically. Carol ignores him.  
"Your first morning at camp, when I washed your uniform, I found this in your pocket."

Diane doesn't know what's happening. She's still in Daryl's arms, but she doesn't have the strenght to fight. Her mind is off. Daryl puts her on the ground and wraps his arms around her.  
"Don't move." He ordered her. She buries her face in his neck, letting some tears fall from her cheeks again.

The next thing she hears is a loud bang. Glass is spread in the ground, some of it reaching her legs. Luckily she had her trousers. Diane looks around and sees Lori with her bow, running with Carl next to her.

"I can run!" Diane yells back at Daryl, reaching for his hand. She stands up and starts running, but Daryl grabs her hand and makes her run with him to the exit.

Everyone is running to reach to their vehicles. Rick, Lori, Carl and Glenn enter the RV. T-Dog runs to a car next to the RV and protects himself in it.  
Daryl guides Diane to his car, making her wonder why is he acting this way. She wonders off only for a few seconds, before she enters the car.  
"Get down!" Daryl screams at her, wrapping his arms around her.

She hears another bang but this time, it makes her flinch and scream. She never heard such a loud sound in her entire life. Daryl wrapped his arms tightly around her.

The next few seconds pass very slowly. When the bang becomes lower, both of them look at the view in front of them.  
The CDC was gone. Instead of it, flames and smoke where replacing it. Diane felt tears on her eyes again. Just the thought of imagining they could be in there and disappear like that, in a few seconds... Her whole world was spinning.

Between the smoke that was near the RV, Diane saw Andrea and Dale entering it. She gasped.  
"Andrea!" She screamed, smiling. "She made it."  
She looks at Daryl and sees him gently smiling at her. He looks ahead of him, whispering something to himself.

_What do you do now?_ Diane asked herself, sighing.


	9. Chapter 9

_**Hi everyone! Are you enjoying the story? I really hope you are.**_

_**I want to thank everyone who favorite, reviewed and followed, it means a lot to me.  
A special thanks to momoXvolturi for the review!  
I wanted to reply to the reviews in the previous chapter, but I forgot it, so I'll do it now. **_

_**I wanted to reply to Texas Bobcat and say that Diane is a very fragile girl. I'm trying to give her a tough look and mix it with a gentle and kind touch. She has suffered a lot due to her past because of what she did. You can imagine that she felt really bad about herself when she was younger and making a very risky move with Daryl - especially Daryl - is very difficult for her.**_

_**I'm not saying that it won't happen, I just have to let the story follow it's course.**_

_**I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE WALKING DEAD.**_

* * *

_**Highway of Despair**_

_Diane was sitting on a chair outside of her tent, looking at the trees ahead of her. They were misterious and dark, just like that night. She sighed and shifted the shot gun on her lap uncomfortably. Diane had been alone keeping watch for four hours and she was starting to feel sleepy.  
Her group ran away from another camp once it got overrun. Diane, her brother Sean and her friends Teresa and Jonah were alone in this small camp, waiting to decide where they would go next._

_Diane heard someone unzip a tent and turned back to look at it. She noticed her friend Teresa walking towards her, wrapping her arms around her chest to keep warm. Teresa reached for a blanket in her backpack and sat next to Diane._

_"You'be been out here for hours." Teresa noticed, touching Diane in the shoulder. "You're not tired?"  
"I'm okay." Diane lied. There was no need for Teresa to take watch and let Diane sleep. Her friends were exhausted enough.  
"I guess Sean will get up in a few hours." Teresa remembered, looking at Diane's brother tent. "He'll take watch then."  
"I guess." Diane agreed, looking at the trees._

_Teresa was her friend since Diane was fourteen years old. They were from the same class and loved the same stuff. Music was what they had most in common. Unlike any of their classmates, Diane and Teresa listened to heavy metal and rock and roll. They were known as the metal girls for years, until they finished school and went to University.  
Teresa had long dark hair with blue eyes. She was extremely beautiful and she had been with a lot of guys before she found Jonah. She was taller than Diane and skinnier than her._

_"I really think I should learn how to use a gun." Teresa broke the silence, looking at the shot gun on Diane's lap. "Knifes aren't enough anymore."  
"It's a good idea." Diane nodded, looking at her friend. "I guess one of us can teach you."  
Teresa nodded, smiling. She looked at Diane's tent for a brief second and let out a laugh. "Or you could teach me how to use that bow of yours."  
Diane laughed with her. Teresa kept teasing her. "Seriously, I'd never seen someone take care of a weapon like you take care of your bow."  
"It's my favorite weapon, why shouldn't I take good care of it?" Diane wondered, looking at her tent.  
"I know, but still." Teresa laughed again, her small and childish laugh spreading through the woods._

_Both of them heard someone unzipping a tent. Jonah walked out of his and Teresa's tent, yawning and stretching his arms. "Going to take a piss." The guy informed them, making Diane and Teresa look at each other awkwardly.  
"That's to much information, Jonah." Diane teased him. Jonah waved his hand to them before disappearing to the woods._

_Diane and Teresa kept smiling and laughing at their friend. Jonah was a little bit older than Diane but she knew him since she was a kid. They were neighbors since she moved to their town and they became friends pretty quickly.  
Jonah was the tallest of the group and had short light brown hair. His beautiful green eyes sparkled at night and every time he looked at Teresa, Diane could swear she felt her friend melt next to her. It was always funny to see it._

_Suddenly, the two girls heard a scream. Diane and Teresa immediately jumped and looked around for Jonah. The screams were coming from his direction. Diane grabbed her shot gun and began running towards her friend.  
"Teresa, get a gun!" Diane screamed at her, seeing Teresa entering her tent. Sean looked around, confused. He looked at Diane for a brief second and ran towards Teresa._

_Diane kept looking around to see where the screams were coming from. She looked at her right and saw someone on the ground and a creature on top of the person.  
"Jonah!" She yelled, shooting the creature in the head. It fell on the ground immediately and Diane ran in the direction of her friend. She was recognizing his tennis and trousers. Before she knew it, Jonah was laying on the ground with a bite wound on his stomach and arms.  
"Oh my God." Diane whispered, kneeling beside her friend. "Jonah, do you hear me? Jonah!"_

_Tears spread across Diane's cheeks. Her friend was suffering and she didn't know what do to. Her shot gun was on the ground, and she could hear the shots from her brother and Teresa in their camp.  
Jonah was looking at her, his hand brushing Diane's face. "Diane..." He was able to say.  
All she could think about was bringing Teresa next to him. Her boyfriend was suffering and Diane knew what had to be done.  
"I'm sorry, Jonah. I'm sorry." She whispered, hugging him tighly. "I... I have to do it. I won't let you turn."_

_She got up and cleaned her face. It was hopeless, because her tears continued to run through her face. Jonah closed his eyes and stopped fighting the urge to stand up. Diane grabbed her shot gun and aimed it at her best friend. Jonah, her brother.  
Before she could shoot Jonah in the head, she heard another scream. Instinctively, Diane turned her attention to the scream, just in time to see Teresa fell on her knees with two walkers eating her alive.  
"No!" Diane screamed, turning her face on her friend. She stopped walking when she realised Jonah was in there, laying on the ground, waiting to turn. What was she going to do?  
"I'm..." Diane tried to calm herself, before feeling the vomit in her throat. Diane laid on the ground puking herself because of the jitters she was feeling.  
"Jonah!" She yelled again, cleaning her mouth. "Teresa!"_

_She didn't know what to do and before she could decide anything, a hand grabbed her shoulder and hugged her tightly. Sean. Her brother was still in there, fighting with her.  
Sean placed his hands on her shoulders and looked at her desperatly.  
"Diane, listen to me." Sean said whispering. The creatures were still on their camp, feeding of Diane and Sean's friend. Diane tried to focus on her brother's words. "You have to get out of here. There's to many of them."  
"We can go, now!" Diane demanded, trying to get up. The creatured heard her and tried to figure out where the sound came. Sean made her sister kneel in front of him.  
"Listen to me!" He called her, shaking her shoulders. "There's to many of them. If we go together, none of us will make it. You have to go."_

_Diane let her tears fell in her cheeks. She began sobbing uncontrollably. "What about you?" She asked him, hugging his brother.  
"I'll be alright, sis." Sean answered her, breathing heavily. "I'm gonna save your life, I'm gonna be fine."  
"I love you." Diane told him, hugging him tightly. "Sean, please..."  
"Diane, go!" Sean screamed at her, giving her his gun. "I'll take care of you, okay? I love you." Sean brushed his hand on her cheek before looking to the creatures in their camp. "Go!"_

_Sean ran in the creatures direction leaving Diane behind. In a moment of courage, Diane grabbed her knife and stabbed Jonah in the head with it. _

_She didn't look back. Diane couldn't face it. She was alone.  
Alone.  
Her friends were dead. Sean was dead._

_As she made her way through the woods, the names popped in her head: Jonah. Teresa. Sean._

* * *

The road was empty and abandoned. The big highway had corpses and cars scattered all over it and the sight shivered every single one of them.  
The RV was going down the highyway silently, passing through all that horror they were witnessing. Diane rested quietly on the passenger's seat, watching carefully Daryl in front of her in his bike. She had been traveling with him until Dary decided to ride his bike and leave the trunk behind. Diane wasn't okay with it, but there was nothing she could do.

He seemed distant again, glancing at her from the corner of his eye. Daryl knew she was worried about him but he could take care of himself. Daryl enjoyed riding his bike and feel the wind in his face. The walkers weren't a problem because in the highway there wasn't many of them. Most of the walkers were dead in the ground, left to rot with the heat of the sun.

No one talked about what happened at the CDC. They were still chocked that they had to leave and force themselves to be on the road again. Rick didn't know what to do, and neither did any of them.

Diane heard another bang in front of her and she flinched immediately at the sound. The big sounds scared her more than any other, mostly because of her passed. Recently she had been having the same nightmare she had when she arrived at camp.

Dale was mumbling something about the RV's engine. That caused the bang and possibly leaving them in the highway for a long period of time.

"I said it, didn't I say it?" Dale mumbled again, reaching for the engine. There was smoke spreading through the hood of the RV and Dale placed his hand on his hat, thinking about what he could do. "I can fix it, but it'll take some time."  
"How much time?" Shane asked impatiently.  
"I don't know." Dale answered, leaning his body up to check the engine. "Let me work on it."

Diane looked around her. Daryl had parked his bike close to the RV and was checking the cars that were scattered on the highway. Everyone looked at him.  
"There's a bunch of stuff here we can find." He commented, taking stuff from the cars.  
"Alright, let's spread out." Rick told them, waving his hands in the air. "Be careful and don't go far."  
"This is a graveyard." Lori confessed with her hand on her neckless. "I don't know if I'm comfortable with this."

Everyone looked at each other for a few seconds before spreading out. Whatever she said, no one seemed to be uncomfortable with taking stuff from the cars.  
Diane walked in Daryl's direction, squeezing his arm to let him know she was in there.  
"Careful, girl." He warned her. "I could of confuse ya with a walker."  
"Sorry." Diane smiled, nodding. "Can I go with you?"  
Daryl looked at her for a brief second before nodding. Diane smiled at him.

She reached for a red car that was on her right. Daryl follower her and checked the passenger's seat, while she checked the trunk.  
"I wanted to thank you for what you did at the CDC." Diane confessed, searching inside a backpack. She found bottle's of water and tshirts. "Didn't have the chance to say it back there."  
"It was nothin'." Daryl nodded, finding water himself.  
"I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you, so..." Diane wondered, stepping closer to him. "Don't say it was nothing."  
"Fine." Daryl agreed, stepping in another car.

They stayed together for what felt like fifteen minutes, talking about random stuff. Diane heard Daryl talk about his bike, mentioning Merle's name and saying that the bike was originally his brother's. Diane just nodded, smiling at him. She was enjoying listening to Daryl telling her stuff about him.  
She also understood the childhood he had. Although she hadn't been through the same as Daryl, he told her about his drunk father and how lunatic the man was. Along with the scars Diane noticed on his shoulders, she saw how deep his eyes were when he mentioned his father.

Diane told him some things about herself too. She told him her friends names and how she lost them. She told him how she knew Teresa and Jonah. Diane remembered the story she told at the CDC about stealing the comics and she mentioned it at Daryl again. He laughed at the idea, clearly making fun of her.

A few more minutes passed until they heard Rick telling them to get under the cars. Diane's breathing stopped and she froze for a few seconds. Daryl looked around himself and ordered her to get under the black car next to them. She did as he told her, throwing the stuff she found to the ground and throwing herself under the car. Daryl laid next to her, placing his finger in his mouth to warn her to be quiet. Diane nodded.

The walkers began to reach their car, walking so slow that Diane felt annoyed at it. Their feet could walk completely bent on the ground that they didn't notice. Diane remembered Dr. Jenner telling them how they would get up and walk like the brain had been restarted. But then, she remembered that the part of the brain that made people the way they were didn't come back.

There were at least five walkers near their car when Daryl began to get up. Diane looked at him in chock and grabbed his arm, pulling him closer to her. "What are you doing?!" She whispered in anger.  
"Just stay here, I'll be right back." Daryl snapped at her, pushing himself away from her. He got up in a few seconds and ran to another car, killing one walker. Diane didn't know why he did that, but she placed her hand on her mouth to keep still.

The walkers near her car eventually walked away and Diane began to relax. She looked around and saw Shane and Glenn getting up from under a trunk and she did the same.  
Daryl was with T-Dog and Diane realised that he had to get up to help the other man.  
T-Dog had a huge cut on his arm and it was bleeding fast.  
"What happened?" Diane asked T-Dog, grabbing carefully his arm. He flinched from her.  
"I cut myself pretty bad." He answered her.  
"Well, at leas..." Diane began to say, but a scream cut her off.

She ran in the direction of the scream just in time to see Sophia run into the woods. She ran in her direction, but Daryl grabbed her arm and didn't let her go. The next thing she knew, Rick was running in the little girl's direction.

Carol walked by, grabbed by Lori, sobbing uncontrollably.  
"Lori, two walkers are after my baby!" She screamed desperatly, holding to Rick's wife with tears in her eyes. Lori whispered some words in the older woman's ear without looking away from the woods.

The group stayed quiet, locking their eyes at the woods, expecting to see Rick come back with the little girl in his arms.


	10. Chapter 10

**_The Woods are Waiting_**

The group waited impatiently for Rick and Sophia. They had been missing for at least an hour and Carol could not sit still. Lori kept Carol from running towards her daughter, grabbing her waist and pulling her close. Who knows what might of occur if that happened.  
The highway was quiet and calm. After that band of walkers appeared, Dale warned them that he was going to keep watch in the top of the RV.  
Diane remained close to Daryl. He seemed worried and anxious: he couldn't keep quiet and was always moving from one place to another.

Everyone was worried about Sophia. There was an evident concern in everyone in the group and Diane knew she could help them find the little girl. Diane has always been a great hunter and she learned a lot when she was alone in the forest during that time when her group died. Diane learned how to hunt her own food and make her own fire. Maybe she should've taught the kids how to do it, just in case.  
But how could the group imagine that one of them would run away?

Diane was worried about Carl. The boy was sitting on top of a dark blue car near his mother, looking sadly into the forest, with his gaze fixed on the spot where the group had seen Rick disappear. He was the only child in the group now and, with the missing Sophia, he would probably feel alone most of the time. Sophia was his only friend that could play games with him and make Carl feel a little bit more like a child.

The girl made her way towards Carl, passing by Lori and Carol who looked at her with surprise. Daryl glanced at her too, trying to figure out what she was going to do. Diane sat beside Carl, looking into the forest without saying anything. The boy looked at her curiously, blinking a few times.  
Carl said nothing and waited until Diane lightly touched him on the left shoulder.

"We're gonna find her." Diane assured him smiling. "Even if Rick comes back alone, I'll go to the woods and I'll bring her back."  
"I know." Carl replied kindly to the girl. He looked down for a moment, closing his hands in little fists. "I want to look for her too."

Diane felt a pain inside her with Carl's words. He was only almost thirteen years old, and he still wanted to risk his life to save Sophia. Diane could see the truth and determination of his words in his blue eyes and stroked his dark brown hair.  
"I know, Carl." She confessed, kissing him on the forehead. "You should talk to your parents."

With that, Diane stood up and walked towards Daryl. She still thought of Carl's words, feeling his pain herself. All she wanted was to give him his friend back and everything could go back to what it was before.  
Carl deserved at least to have his friend in this world, since his childhood was already being affected. Diane remembered her own childhood and thought that Carl deserved a childhood just like hers. It had been one of the best years of her life and she would do everything to go back and be a child again. Everything seemed so easy.  
But then again, if Carl had a chance to have a childhood - in this world - it wouldn't be like hers either. His childhood would be full of fear, pain and insecurity. Diane shook her head at the thoughts.

Daryl looked at her for a few seconds before returning his attention to his crossbow. He was sharpening some arrows, as he had done when they were in camp. Diane bit her lip and ran her hand through her short hair.

Whenever she approached Daryl, her heart beat stronger and she felt suddenly nervous. From the moment their lips touched him lightly that night at the CDC, Diane felt something stronger for Daryl. It was something she couldn't explain, since most of the time he pushed her away from him.  
Although he did that, Diane understood it. The conversation they had before the walkers passed by them made her think of the life he took when he was younger. Daryl probably lived in an environment of stress and fear. Consequently, his behaviour towards other people was a mix of anger, frustration and all those feelings he couldn't really understand.

"Hey." Diane addressed him kindly. This time, he stopped sharpening the sticks and looked in her eyes.  
"Hey." He answered her. His blue eyes showed tiredness and worry.  
Diane smiled. Even if Daryl tried to hide all his feelings, his eyes always betrayed him. "You look tired." Diane noticed, gently walking towards him. She leaned against the car next to him, feeling their arms touch. Daryl moved away for a few brief seconds, but returned quietly to her side, chewing his finger.  
"I'm fine." He lied, glacing over Carol and Lori.

Diane looked at the same direction, seeing Lori comforting Carol. "I can't believe this is happening." Diane wondered, plancing her hand on her chest. "I mean, she's just a little girl."  
Daryl didn't answer her. He only looked at the girl next to her, trying to understand what was the exact moment she had made her way into him. No one ever had much patience to try to understand him, but she did. And she actually understood him, and Diane continue to want to be around him.  
"Hey," Daryl called her, punching her slowly on the shoulder. She looked at him surprised. "Don't worry. We'll find her."  
Diane smiled at Daryl, feeling comforted by his reassuring words. "I want to look for her... If Rick comes back without her." Diane confessed, looking at the woods again. "I'm a good hunter."  
"You can come with me." Daryl quickly answered. She glanced at him and he moved his head in another direction. "If you want." He added, almost like a whisper.  
"I'd like that." Diane laughed. "We're both good hunters."  
Daryl nodded at her, gently smiling.

Diane was surprised by his attitude. Daryl seemed more sympathetic than ever, as if he was worried about her. Diane felt happy for him to show affection for her, since they had almost kissed at the CDC. That had to mean something. At least it meant something to her.  
She could not believe that only after the world almost ended that she was able to find someone who she really liked. Diane felt something for Daryl that she never felt for anyone, and Diane knew that he was different. Perhaps because they had the same defense mecanism: she often tried to pull away her feelings and show to people that she was okay. Daryl did the same thing, in his own way.

Diane left her thoughts wonder on Daryl for several minutes. He was still at her side, but he was more interested in the arrows he was sharpening.  
The sky was getting darker and the sun was setting up. Diane looked around and noticed a person moving in the forest. She jumped and grabbed Daryl's hand, pulling closer to the group. He didn't let go of her hand.

The trees were shaking with the wind, but the footsteps were audible to everyone. Diane looked around, trying to figure out who was coming, but kept her hand on top of her gun, in case of a walker appeared from the woods. When she noticed the person who came through the bushes, Diane let her hand drop and froze in her place, without being able to move.  
Rick appeared through the bushes alone. He looked tired and ran hastily to the group without hearing Lori or Carol call him. When he approached them, his breath was panting.

"Sophia?" Rick asked. Diane noticed he believed that the girl had return safe and sound. Lori looked at him speechless.  
"She's not back." Diane moved in their direction, letting go of Daryl's hand.  
"Oh..." Carol cried, feeling her legs shaking. She was about to fall when Diane and Lori grabbed her arms and kept her steady.  
"She's not back?" Rick asked, surprised. "I told her to keep the sun on her left shoulder and walk back to camp... I felt her hidden and when I came back she wasn't there, I figure she came back."  
"She didn't." Shane answered.

Rick lowered his head, as if wondering what to do next. Diane looked at Daryl, who was gently very close to her, as if afraid she was going to feel bad. She sighed and touched lightly on Rick's shoulder.  
"Let's go take a look." She whispered to him. Rick looked at her in surprise. "It's not dark yet, let's take a look in the woods.

Carol looked at her as if she felt a little bit more relieved to know that someone was going to look for her little girl. Diane nodded to her, ensuring she would do her best to bring Sophia back.  
Diane didn't look back. She passed through everyone and made her way into the RV.

As she entered it, she noticed Dale calling her from the top of his RV. She quickly grabbed her bow and crossed it on her back, putting her knife and gun on it's pocket of her jeans.

"Diane?" Dale asked curious. Diane got out of the RV and looked at the older man, putting her hands in front of her eyes because of the sun. "Rick's back, right? I don't see Sophia with him."  
Diane nodded. "We're going to find her before it gets dark."  
"Be careful." Dale told her while Diane made her way through the cars.

While Diane was going through all those cars, she looked ahead. She saw Daryl preparing his crossbow close to Rick, Shane and Glenn. When he looked at her, Diane smiled shyly as he nodded, letting her know that he was going with her to look for the little girl.

The next moment, Diane approached them and saw that Carol and Lori were no longer there. Diane didn't feel bad about it, since Carol had to be feeling something that no one could explain in words. Diane did a ponytail to be more comfortable while looking for the girl.

* * *

They were in the woods just over forty-five minutes. Daryl, Rick, Shane, Glenn and Diane were all together following the trail of Rick and Sophia. They passed the place where Rick said he told Sophia to hid while he managed to pull the walkers away from her. Rick told them that he made the walkers chase him through the woods and that he killed the two of them with a rock. After a few minutes, Daryl and Diane found the rock and the place Rick said it happened.

They managed to get back to the small river and examine Sophia's footsteps. Daryl was examining near the margins while Diane checked in the florest itself. The ground was full of footsteps of small animals, but nothing from Sophia. Diane began to be worried. She didn't find any walkers footsteps, but that didn't mean that she didn't got caught further into the woods. It was getting dark when Daryl called them.

"She did what you said." Daryl agreed, examining the margins. "She went the right direction and made her way back to the group."

They remained in the woods looking for her trail, making their way to camp. Diane got the slightest hope that maybe Sophia was in there, near Carol and Carl. Everything would be okay and they would get moving in no time.

Daryl and her where experts in tracking and hunting. Rick, Glenn and Shane were always looking at each other without fully understanding what the two of them were telling each other. It almost seemed they were speaking in different languages.  
The truth was that Daryl and Diane made a good team. They completed each other's senteces about Sophia's footsteps and almost everything about hunting and tracking.

Suddenly, they both stopped. Daryl looked at Diane briefly, cheking the footsteps of the little girl. Glenn noticed their glances and approached them.  
"What?" He asked politely, looking at the ground.  
"She went in the wrong direction." Diane informed them, waving her hand in the ground. "She was supposed to go in that direction," Diane told them, waving to her right side. "but she made it that way."  
"Why's that?" Shane asked.  
"Walkers?" Glenn asked concerned.  
"I don't see any other footsteps." Daryl said carefully. Diane nodded in agreement.

"Shane, Glenn, you should go back to camp." Rick demanded them. "People are going to get worried, I'll stay with Diane and Daryl until the sun is down."

Shane and Glenn nodded affirmatively and quickly disappeared from the sight of Rick, Daryl and Diane. They knew the way back, unlike the girl. Furthermore, they were near group.

Diane and Daryl looked at each other and followed behind the footsteps of Sophia. Rick was behind them, silently making his way towards them.

They reached a place from the woods where they hadn't been before and found a walker wondering around alone. Rick told them to each of them to separate and go in different directions. Daryl grabbed Diane's hand and told her to follow him.

Rick looked at the walker and whistled to him. The walker caught his gaze on Rick and growled in his direction. Before he could do anything, Daryl fired an arrow with his crossbow. The arrow went through the walkers skull in seconds and it fell on the ground.

They made their way towards the body, looking at it with disgust.

"How do we know it didn't... _saw _Sophia?" Diane asked. But she already knew the answer.  
Daryl got on his knees with Rick. Diane looked at them with surprise. _They are really doing this? _She asked herself, already feeling sick.  
"Only one way to find out." Daryl told them grabbing his knife. Diane touched this shoulder.  
"Use mine." She told him, putting her knife on his hands. She smiled at him and looked away from the body.

In the next second, Diane heard the sound of flesh being torn apart with immense force. She tried hard not to look at the walker while Daryl opened his stomach and intestines. Rick also could not look straight at the walker, looking away occasionally. Daryl looked at them during brief seconds to see if they were okay. Diane nod to him and he kept ripping the walker's flesh.

After a few minutes, Daryl tore the walker's stomach of his body for signs of human remains inside.  
"Yeah, asshole's got a big meal not long ago," He began to say as he tore it from the body. "I can feel it in there."  
Rick looked away for a second and so did Diane. The smell of rotten flesh was almost unbearable.

Daryl placed the stomach in the ground and tried to open it.  
"I'll do it." Rick said, grabbing Daryl's knife. Diane sit down next to Daryl, looking at the stomach.  
"There's nothing in there human." Diane noticed, the obvious relief on her voice. She checked the walker's teeth. "This isn't human flesh either."  
Daryl checked on it to make sure. He nodded to her and got up. Rick and Diane got up too.

"At least we know." They said, making their way back to camp.


	11. Chapter 11

_**Hello everyone. Thank you all for the follows and favorites. They are all inspiring and make me want to keep writing.**_

_**momoXvolturi:  
**__Thank you, I'm glad too. I'm trying to keep him loyal to his character, but since he's never been with someone on the show, it makes the job more difficult. I made my best though, and I hope you like it._

**_This chapter was supposed to be longer but I decided to leave it the way it is. I like the end as it is now and I don't want to change it._**

**_I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE WALKING DEAD._**

* * *

**_Coming Home_**

The way back seemed relatively shorter. Diane and Daryl didn't notice any sign that Sophia had returned and Diane began to lose hope that they would find her before nightfall.

The trees wouldn't stop shaking because of the wind and any sound that came from that direction made Diane jump and raise her bow towards the sound.

Rick didn't spoke after they found the walker in the woods. Truth is, he was actually thinking of a way to tell Carol that they hadn't found her little girl and Sophia would have to spend the night in the woods by herself. He couldn't imagine the pain that Carol was feeling, but if he imagined Carl in the same situation as Sophia, he felt crushed and dead inside.

After being with Daryl and Diane in the woods, Rick was definitely sure that they were experts in tracking and hunting. Daryl knew what Diane was thinking even before she said anything. She would look at him and he knew exactly what she was seeing.  
Rick never saw two people work so perfectly together and he was sure that they would be valuable to find the little girl.

Diane knew the same thing Rick did. She noticed how Daryl would walk beside her with his crossbow raised in the air, looking cautiously at the ground. If he saw something, the only thing he had to do was raise his hand. Diane knew she had to stop and wait for him to give her a signal.

They returned from the same bushes that Sophia had disappeared and when the group saw them, Carol stood up in a second. Her face went from relief to an inexplicable pain and despair. She placed her hand on her chest, realizing that Sophia wasn't with them.

"You didn't find her?" Carol asked. It didn't sound as a question, it sounded like she was whispering that to herself. She felt her legs shaking and Carol struggled to keep herself calm and quiet. Diane tried to comfort her by placing her hands on the older woman's shoulder.  
"Her trail went cold." Rick confessed sadly. His eyes were tired and he was feeling exhausted. He cleaned his hands on his trousers.

The group noticed how the three of them looked like. Rick had blood on his t-shirt and trousers, just like Daryl. Diane had blood on her black top but her trousers were only full of dirt. Daryl seemed dirty in his arms and neck, like he had been in a fight. Carol felt her legs break and she sat down in a small wall. Diane sat with her.

"Is… Is that blood?" Carol was able to ask again, her hands trembling. Diane squeezed Carol's shoulders softly.  
Rick managed to walk into Carol's side, putting his own hand on her shoulders.  
"It wasn't anywhere near Sophia." He assured her.  
"How can you know that?" Andrea asked the three of them.

It was obvious that the whole group was wondering the same thing. Diane glanced over to Rick and Daryl, waiting to know if they were supposed to tell them they saw a walker. She didn't know if it was good for Carol to know that her little girl was lost in the woods and they had encountered a walker.  
Daryl was the one to talk. "You cut the son of a bitch open," He began to say, noticing Carol looking down immediately. "To make sure…" He finished his voice almost like a whisper.

They remained silent for a few seconds. Rick didn't leave Carol's side, expecting her to say something. Daryl was in there too, his right hand holding his crossbow on his shoulder. Diane slowly got up and looked into Carol's face. It was full of recent tears and pain.  
"I'll look for her tomorrow." Diane told her, placing a lock of hair behind her ear. "I promise."

Carol didn't seem to listen to the girl in front of her. Hey eyes waved around the group before resting on Rick. He looked at her surprised, and when she spoke, her words were like poison. "How could you leave her out there, to begin with?" She spit.  
Rick locked his eyes on the mother, unable to say anything.  
"He did what was necessary." Diane defended the officer with a firm tone.

She dropped her head to her hands, feeling the urge to run away and look for her girl. Carol wanted to find her little girl and hug her tightly. She wanted to tell nice stories to Sophia in order to give her a good night of sleep. But she wasn't going to do that. Her little girl was lost in the woods, and there were no words to describe what she was feeling.

"I had to drag the walkers away from her." Rick told her, placing his hand on his knee. "It was my only option."

He kept repeating that, more to himself than to any of them. He stood up, leaving the group behind to comfort Carol. Lori glanced at her husband's direction feeling the urge to go and calm him down. She knew how guilty he was feeling.

Eventually, everyone walked away from the little wall near the woods. Carol embraced herself on Lori and Andrea, walking towards the RV. The three of them entered and stood there, sitting on the chairs and looking at the window. Neither Andrea nor Lori knew exactly what to say to Carol, but they did her best to make the older woman feel a little bit better… If that was even possible for her.

Diane didn't know Sophia the way they did, but a little girl lost in the woods made everyone feel concerned. She felt the need to help them because she belonged to the group now. She was one of them.

Glenn was talking to Shane near some cars that had supplies for them and Daryl was near his bike. She remembered how he had saved T-Dog's life and suddenly she felt proud of him. Daryl proved himself worthy in this group and Diane was happy about that. She knew that he didn't have to prove himself to anyone. But Diane also knew that not everyone had the patience to try to understand him like her did. So she knew that most of the people from the group didn't understand how valuable he was.

Diane walked towards T-Dog and Dale. They were near the RV, talking to each other.  
"T-Dog." She called him hesitantly. He looked at her with pain. He was still suffering because of his wound, and Diane wanted to help him. "Maybe you should let me take a look at your wound."  
He looked in her eyes and glanced at Dale. "You know how?"  
"Teresa's father was a doctor." Diane told them, whispering her friend's name, noticing how she mentioned Teresa like it was no big deal. _They don't know her, idiot_, Diane thought to herself. She walked towards the man. "He taught me some stuff."

T-Dog smiled and walked in the RV. The three women looked at them surprised but gently pulled away. They remained sitting with Carol.  
Diane sat on the bed with T-Dog and took off the protection he had done to not exposure the wound.  
When she took it, T-Dog flinched at the touch. He bit his lips and nodded at her to keep taking if off. She could tell he was in an enormous pain.

When the protection fell Diane was able to really look at his wound. It didn't look good. The skin was opened and there was too much flesh and veins exposure.  
"I don't think there's a lot I can do." Diane mumbled to herself, looking from different angles to his wound. "It needs stitches, and we don't have the equipment. So we have to wait and hope it will heal on its own."  
"That's possible?" He asked suspiciously.  
"You can't move your arm." Diane demanded him, wrapping his arm around a bandage that Dale had brought to her. "And I'm serious. That's a pretty deep cut you have in there."  
"Yes, ma'am." He whispered to himself.

Diane finished wrapping his arm and got out of the RV. She walked around without really knowing what to do. She thought about Teresa and her dad. It had been such a long time since he had taught them a few basic aspects about cuts and wounds…  
Time passed really quick and Diane was realizing that. It seemed like yesterday when she was with Teresa and their camp got attacked…  
_Sean.  
_Her brother's name popped in her mind. She missed him so much.  
Every time she remembered his name, her heart hurt. She knew he had sacrificed himself to save her, but somehow she couldn't really accept his death.  
She didn't imagine herself to live without him, and now… She was living without her brother, parents and friends. Every one she cared about was gone.

_Not everyone. _Diane reminded herself, looking at the other side of the road. Daryl was still near his bike, cleaning something on its engine. Diane bit her lip and made her way towards him.

When she started to walk in his direction, Daryl heard her footsteps. He glanced at her, his blue eyes locking in her eyes, making Diane blush. She took that as an encouragement that she should go and be with him for a while.

Daryl stopped cleaning his bike and cleaned his hands on his shirt. He sat down on the hood of a car nearby and waited for Diane to join him.  
She reached him in seconds and sat down next to him.

Diane glanced at them and they stood a few seconds looking at each other. She sensed that she wasn't just looking at his eyes. She was looking at all his vulnerability and insecurities, that the tried so hard to keep away from everyone else.

"You are going to look for Sophia with me tomorrow, right?" She broke the silence, looking at the ground. The slight wind made her hair wave back and forth a little.  
"I think we're all goin'." He confessed. "Rick told me he was plannin' on scavenging the woods with the group."  
"That's good, right?" Diane asked, looking in his eyes. He looked at her for a brief seconds before she continued talking. "I mean, T-Dog can't go. His cut is to deep."  
"Then he won't go." Daryl said, getting up. He stood in front of Diane for a few seconds. "Dale's probably not goin' to."  
"They'll stay here then."

When she finished talking, Diane noticed how close he was to her again. She was sitting on the hood of the car and Daryl was in front of her, glancing back and forth. Diane didn't know what do to. She could grab his shirt and pull him close or get up and leave him. She didn't know what to do and felt her heart beat faster.

"You were good today in the woods." Daryl complimented her, smiling.  
"Thanks."

Without letting Diane go, Daryl walked in her direction and grabbed her small legs. He made them cross each side of his waist until her chest was almost touching his. He placed his ruff hand on her chin.  
"I'm sorry 'bout what happened at the CDC." He managed to say, feeling nervous. He wasn't good at showing of his feelings. "I was drunk."  
"I noticed." Diane played with her voice, noticing her nervousness as well.

Daryl made her look in his eyes and placed his right hand on her leg. She shivered at the contact and leaned her forehead into his. They stayed like that for a few seconds before Diane placed her hand on the back of his head, pulling him close.

It was now or never. Diane knew this was the perfect moment to finish what they had started at the CDC. No one was around them and all they could hear was the wind and the fireflies in the sky.

As she pulled him close to her, Diane closed her eyes.  
When her lips touched his, the world seemed to stop. Diane became aware of how long she wanted to feel his lips on hers and everything seemed perfectly natural. She grabbed harder his hair, pulling him closer to her, as if even they were completely closed to each other, it still wasn't enough.

Diane let out a groan, biting his lip softly. Their lips moved in sync and when the kiss broke, Diane and Daryl looked in the eyes for a few seconds. She noticed a gleam in Daryl's eyes that weren't there before and she pulled him towards her by his shirt. Diane placed her right hand on his chest and her left on his face, making him shiver and let out an uncontrollable moan. Diane smiled in the middle of the kiss, glad to create this feeling in him. His lips tasted irresistibly and her moth and the more she kissed him, the more she desired him.

When the kiss ended, Diane leaned her forehead against his, feeling finally safe.


	12. Chapter 12

_**Hi everyone. Here's chapter twelve. I want to thank everyone who favorite, reviewed and followed. It's very important to me.**_

_**momoXvolturi: Ahah, I know it took time but now it's going to get better...**_

_**I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE WALKING DEAD.**_

* * *

**_Accidents can mean trouble_**

Diane could never have imagined that Daryl would act that way. The kiss was totally unexpected, but it was worth it. She couldn't forget the feeling of her lips on his, Daryl's smell and the way his hands touched her face. It all seemed too perfect to be true, but it _was _true.

They stayed together for a few more minutes. Diane remained on the hood of the car with her legs wrapped around his waist. Daryl stroked her face for a while and then rested his hands on her legs and stared at her. He had never pictured himself with a girl. It scared him the thought of expressing his feelings to someone, but this seemed natural. He could tell that Diane was broken and nervous like him. There was no need to hide feelings from her.

The way Daryl saw this girl had completely changed in a few weeks. When Diane arrived at the camp, Daryl looked at her with suspicion and irritation. She challenged him and he didn't like it.  
Perhaps because deep down, he knew that that made him feel attracted to her.

Diane was a bit younger than him and seemed very delicate and fragile beside him. However, Daryl knew that girl was tough and demanding. He had never seen anyone learn to hunt their own food alone, but Diane had been capable of that. This little detail made Daryl think she wasn't as fragile and insecure as he thought she was.

The rest of the group remained in the RV in their respective cars and when night fell. Carol sat in one of the chairs of the RV, staring silently out the window. The forest was beside her and she couldn't look away from the last place where she had seen her daughter. Carol wished that, even if by a miracle, Sophia appeared through the bushes safe and sound.  
But when Carol was aware that this was far from happening, more tears fell for her delicate face.

It was time to go to sleep and Carol didn't say anything to anyone. She laid quietly in bed while Dale was on watch in the top of the RV.

Glenn and Shane sat on the seats of one of the cars and looked to the horizon, whispering something in between. They were worried about Sophia but Shane knew that sooner or later they would have to leave. Glenn agreed with him, but he wouldn't admit it to anyone, least of all Carol.

Lori tried hopelessly to calm her son. Carl was impatient since his friend had disappeared… That made him feel sad and lonely. To make things worse, Carl tried to convince his parents that he could also help finding Sophia, only to hear a no for an answer.

* * *

The next morning, Rick told everyone that they would leave early to the woods and look for Sophia. Dale and T-Dog stayed in the highway. T-Dog couldn't move his arm and Diane would not let him even question her order. Dale perfectly understood that the man couldn't look for the girl with the rest of the group and eventually convinced him to sit down.

Carl was able to convince his parents to let him come. Diane intervened, saying that if the group was together then it was safer for him and that Carl should have the opportunity to search for his friend. When Lori nodded, Diane winked at the boy and entered the RV. She quickly searched for a small backpack and found it near the bed.

Diane grabbed the backpack and shoved back inside another knife she had found in one of the cars. She took her belt and placed it on her waist to hold her knife and gun. She put her backpack on her back and returned to the group.

Everyone was ready to go. Lori was close to Carl, telling him constantly that he could not pull away. He nodded in agreement. Rick stood in front of the group with Shane, looking at some maps.  
"Alright everyone," He began to say, looking at Daryl and Diane. "Diane and Daryl will lead the search; they're the best on tracking people."  
Diane smiled at Rick and walked towards Daryl who remained still beside her. Rick kept talking. "No one goes alone to any part of the woods. We stay together." Rick demanded.  
Rick placed his hand on the map. "We're going to go look for her in this direction. We haven't been there yet."

The group agreed to the plan. There wasn't much they could do because Diane and Daryl were the ones to decide the best places to look for her. They had already checked the areas on the map and the one they chose was the best to look for the girl. Rick returned to wrap the map and put it in Shane's backpack. Andrea looked at them, expecting to hear something.  
"Shane, Daryl and I will carry the guns." Rick warned them, looking directly at Andrea.  
"What about Diane?"

Andrea's question took everyone by surprise. She wasn't the type to mumble about the others but this time she was actually annoyed with the girl.  
"She can carry a gun _and_ a bow?" She continued to ask.

Rick didn't answer, so Diane walked next to Andrea with a serious look on her face.  
"Is there a problem, Andrea?" Diane asked calmly. Andrea looked at her surprised with her question.  
"Rick said they're caring the guns, but I see you got one." She confessed, crossing her arms on her chest. "Do you think it's fair to us?"  
"I don't see anyone complaining about it except you." Diane continued with her voice calm and firm. "Besides, I know how to use a gun and take care of myself. You can carry any other weapon." Diane pointed at some knifes and an axe that stood on the hood of the car. "Just don't bring any more problems."

Andrea didn't respond. She didn't know what to tell her because deep down she knew that Diane was right.  
Since the CDC that Andrea was different. She wasn't worried about the same things that bothered her before. Now she only cared about arms and ammunition. Diane understood her concern, but she also knew that Andrea didn't have enough experience with a gun.

Daryl seemed to like Diane's answer towards Andrea, because he smiled at her gently before leading the way to the forest.

Rick went with them both, followed by Carol and Glenn. Andrea was following them with an angry look. Lori and Carl went back with Shane to watch them.

They entered the forest by the same bush they did last time, but this time followed a trail path on the right side of the forest. The path was small and barely visible but Daryl and Diane still guided them through it and they all followed without question.  
Rick remained alert to what Daryl and Diane said to one another in whispers. They were talking about something related to the rail and footprints. He also kept an eye on walkers, with his hand firmly on the belt to quickly reach for his gun if he had to. The worst thing that could happen was someone hurting themselves.

They walked the rail in silence, passing through the large trees that surrounded the entire area. They could hear the birds in the tops of trees and the sky was clear without a single cloud.

The road remained the same until they reached a spot where the trail stretched and widened through the trees. When they passed between two pines, Daryl and Diane told the group to stop walking.

In the middle of a circle of trees was a tent. It was big and seemed to have someone inside it.

Daryl motioned Diane that he was going to approach the tent and she nodded. Diane put an arrow in her bow and kneeled on the ground.  
Rick raised his right hand and motioned for everyone to be quiet. Carol then called her in his direction.

The older woman almost ran toward him with her heart pounding in her chest.  
Carol approached Rick and he put his hand on her arm.  
"Carol." He called her. "If Sophia's in there, your voice is the first thing she'll want to hear. Just don't yell, keep your voice down."  
Carol nodded and glanced at Diane, who smiled at her.  
"Sophia?" Carol's voice was heard, almost like a whisper. "Sophia, baby?" Her voice was louder now. Diane could feel the tension in her.  
Daryl raised his knife in the air and stood by the entrance of the tent. He looked at them and told them that he couldn't see who was in there.

"Sophia, we're all here baby…" Carol's voice seemed to lower as she began to lose hope of her daughter being in there. "It's mommy."  
Diane looked down. _She's not in there_, Diane thought to herself, feeling disappointed.

Daryl looked at her for a brief second. She nodded at him and Daryl raised his knife higher, unzipping the tent. He walked in and stopped in a few seconds, coughing.  
He controlled himself again and fully entered inside the tent, looking at the scene in front of him.

The smell was so unbearable that Daryl had to put his hand in front of his nose.  
He wouldn't need his knife, as the body that lay ahead belonged to a man who had died a long time ago.

The man's body was rotting and the small larvae crawled in his face, heading for the hole in his forehead.  
Daryl realized that the man had committed suicide and hadn't even turn.

"It ain't her." He told them coming out of the tent. He grabbed his crossbow and felt sad about Carol. She looked at the ground in despair.  
"What's in there?" Diane asked curious.  
"Some guy… He opted out." Daryl mentioned. "Wasn't that what Jenner said?"

Diane shivered at the memories and got up quickly. She walked towards Daryl and placed her bow on her back.

They followed at least three more tracks that didn't lead anywhere. Carol felt increasingly disappointed to realize that they wouldn't find her daughter again.  
The nights were what hurt her the most, knowing that her daughter was in the woods alone. What if she had already turn?

The sun still raised high in the sky and they could feel the heat that made them sweat and feel tired more quickly. Diane wiped the drops of sweat that ran over her face and breathed deeply. She didn't like the heat. Diane tried to shake her head and focus.

Suddenly, the group began to hear a sound coming from afar. It seemed like a bell. The sound became more intense and they began to look around to try to understand where it came from.

"Can you tell where it comes from?" Shane asked Rick, running towards the sheriff. Rick focused on a particular place from the woods and ran on its direction.  
"That way." He instructed them, grabbing his gun. "She can ringing it herself!"

They ran through the forest quickly. Rick continued to guide them and the sound was getting closer.

Diane's breathing became increasingly heavy, until they found a church in the middle of the pines. There were some statues in the middle of it and signs of welcome. The sound was definitely coming from there and the group tried to run as fast as possible.

Diane and Daryl arrived more quickly than the others and looked around. He ran through the right side of the building and Diane from the left side. They found no signs of a bell or Sophia.

They made their way back to the group in time to see Glenn discover a device glued to the wall of the church. He pressed a button and the bell stopped ringing.

"It was automatic." Diane noticed, sighing. They all looked at the ground.

Rick was near the church's door and he called them quietly. He raised his hand towards the door and Daryl, Diane and Shane made their way towards him.  
Rick placed his gun on its pocket and Lori gave him his knife. He looked around one more time and saw three walkers sitting on the church's chairs. When they noticed the presence of people, the walkers slowly turned their heads on the group's direction, growling uncontrollably.  
Rick walked in their direction and raised his knife in the air. The walker came in his direction, but Rick quickly ran his knife through its skull. The walker fell on the ground in seconds, leaving blood scattered through the floor.  
Diane ran in the direction of the same walker as Daryl but left him take care of it. He raised his knife just as Rick did and his knife went through the woman's skull. She fell on the ground and Daryl walked backwards to avoid touching it.

Shane had already taken care of his walker. They looked at the rest of the group standing on the door.  
"I think I'm going inside for a bit." Carol told them, entering in the church alone.

Diane left the church and walked outside. She looked at the trees and the statues around the small garden that surrounded the church. Diane had never been a believer and she wouldn't be now with everything that was going on.

Diane looked around and noticed that there was a tree beside her that was good to climb. She used to climb trees when I was little and never lost the taste to do so.  
She climbed it quickly, feeling her shoes in the trunk of the tree.

Diane jumped to one of the largest branches and sat in another higher up. The smell of earth made her feel calm. Diane took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

Daryl made his way towards her, walking slowly through the trees. She was sitting on top of a tree, looking at the horizon.

"What the hell are ya doin' in there?" He asked her. Diane opened her eyes and laughed.  
"I'm just resting." Diane turned her head at him.  
"On a tree?" He questioned, raising his eyebrow.  
"I used to do this when I was a kid." Diane informed him, closing her eyes. "Makes me feel so calm…  
Daryl looked at her for a while. He stood there staring at the girl in front of him. As much as Daryl wanted to look away, he couldn't. Diane was a girl attractive to him. Apart from having big and bulging eyes of a beautiful green color, she had a body that made it impossible for him not to stare.  
Daryl was only able to look away when he noticed that Rick was at the church door looking for him.

Daryl told Diane that he was going back to the group but Diane didn't follow him. She was enjoying the quietude of the trees.

She was so hidden among the trees that no one could see through the branches and leaves. Daryl was only able to find her because he had seen her escaping the group through the trees.

Diane heard footsteps approaching her. She stood still in the tree because she didn't know if it was a walker or someone from the group.  
When voices were heard, Diane knew someone from the group was in there, but she still stood quietly hidden in the tree.  
"So you're just going to leave?" She heard Lori's voice whispering to someone. Diane tried to look through the leaves and branches but they could've notice she was in there.  
"I'm gonna go at the first chance I got." Shane's voice echoed through the area. They were whispering and Diane figured out pretty quickly that no one was supposed to hear their conversation.  
"What?" Lori asked him. It was obvious she was surprised at what he was telling her. "You're just gonna leave?" There was a moment of silence. "What about Rick? Or Carl?"  
Shane started to mumble something that Diane couldn't hear. She leaned forward to hear their conversation.  
"…I'm the one who loses you." Diane heard Shane saying. She thought about it for a second.

_Why would he say something like that? _Diane thought to herself. Maybe something had happened between them before Rick appeared in their camp.  
Diane knew, for sure, that this conversation was supposed to be private so when Lori walked away and Andrea appeared next to Shane, Diane knew that she wasn't the only one who had been listening.  
"Have you observed this group lately?" She asked him. "Because I have. I see two people who don't belong."  
Shane laughed at her. But Andrea continued talking. "I just want to go as far away from here."

Diane didn't hear the rest of the conversation. She saw Rick and the others gathering near the woods and waited until Shane and Andrea returned to the group.

She jumped to the ground and walked in their direction. When she joined them, Diane approached Daryl and stood beside him.

"Shane and I are going to look a little bit more." Rick informed them. "We won't get too far, but you should go back to the highway. Diane and Daryl are in charge so you all listen to them."

Diane and Daryl exchanged looks and nodded at each other. They had their guns so Rick and Shane carried the other ones with them.

"I wanna go too." Carl asked politely. Rick placed his hands on his waist and looked at his son. Carl walked in his direction. "I'm her friend, right? You need as many people as possible."

Rick didn't answer, so Lori stepped in and kissed his head. "Just do what Rick and Shane say, okay? And be careful."

Carl nodded and glanced at Diane who smiled at him. She was happy to see that Carl was finally able to look for his friend.

The rest of the walk to the highway was quiet during most of the time. Diane and Daryl went ahead to show them the way back, while Glenn and Lori followed behind. Carol and Andrea were the last ones.  
Before walking away from the church, Andrea saw Rick handing a gun to Lori, which made Andrea furious. She kept questioning why had he given Lori a gun while the others didn't have one, making Diane tell her to shut up more than once. Despite understanding perfectly that Andrea wanted to have a gun, Diane knew that the Shane and Rick's decision had been the right one.

When Andrea began talking about the same thing again, Lori sat on a trunk of a tree that was on the floor and gave her the gun.  
"You want it? Take it." She told Andrea. "I'm sick of the looks you're giving me."

Lori opened her backpack and took her bottle of water, looking at the group. "All of you." She finished, drinking a sip of water. Then she glanced at Carol for a few seconds. "Honey, I can't imagine what you're going through right way. But you have to stop blaming Rick."

Carol didn't answer, so Lori kept talking. "When she ran he didn't hesitate, right? Not for a second." Diane nodded in agreement, shifting her bow on her shoulder. "If you think you can do this without him, you go right ahead. Nobody is stopping you."

They stood quietly looking at her. Diane knew she was right, but after Lori's _private _conversation with Shane, Diane didn't know what to think of the woman. She was defending Rick but at the same time she had betrayed him? Diane couldn't understand.

Andrea gave her back the gun and said they had to head back to the highway. They all started walking again, quietly passing through the woods.

Diane continued to think about the conversation she had heard between Lori and Shane. Something had happened even before Rick or Diane had reached the camp. And she had a small idea of what.

Apart from that, Diane couldn't help being surprised with Andrea. She knew that Andrea was going through a difficult time because of her sister's death, but Diane thought that what had happened at the CDC would not be as "life-changing" as it had been for her. Diane was wrong.

When they began to hear screams coming from behind, Daryl and Diane began to run toward the sound.  
Andrea. A walker was trying to bite her and most likely they wouldn't arrive in time.  
Diane tried to get an angle to hit it with an arrow, but it was impossible. There was a huge trunk blocking her vision.

Without any of them understanding what had really happened, the walker was on the ground. There was a horse in front of them with a girl on top of him. She had hit the walker in the head with a baseball bat. She looked at Diane. "Lori?" She asked desperately.  
"I'm Lori."  
The girl looked at the woman behind Diane and looked relieved. "You have to come now, there's been an accident. Carl's been shot."  
"What?" Diane asked. _How does she know Carl and Rick's name?_ Diane thought to herself.  
Lori didn't wait any longer. She grabbed the girls hand and jumped onto the horse. Daryl passed Diane with an angry expression.  
"We don't know this girl! You can't get on that horse!" He kept yelling, but none of them were listening.  
"You turn back and passed the church?" The girl told them almost screaming. Glenn and Diane nodded. "You'll see a farm; the name is 'Greene'.

She took off with Lori after saying that. Everyone looked at each other without really understanding what had happened. Diane looked at Daryl and mumbled something, kicking a rock on the ground.

They made their way to the highway in silence, still stunned about what had happened.


	13. Chapter 13

_**I want to thank everyone who favorite, followed and reviewed. It's very important to me.**_

_**momoXvolturi: I know, I hate Andrea. Her character doesn't interest me at all. I mean, I recognize she is strong and she knows how to take care of herself but at the same time I think she just keeps making the wrong decisions... I have this idea that some how she is going to redeem herself in the next episodes.**_

_**V: I'm sorry about grammar errors. I have to tell you that english isn't my first language. I'm portuguese. I really try my best not to do grammar errors, because I don't like reading stories with it. If you see more errors, please let me know.**_

_**bashfyl: Yes, I hate her! Her character is so annoying... I've explained why I don't like her already, but I completely understand your reasons! I hope she changes... Although my hopes are really low.**_

_**I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE WALKING DEAD.**_

* * *

**_Stay_**

Everyone was silently walking the rest of the way to the highway. Daryl and Diane led the group and remained alert to what surrounded them.  
No one could fully understand what had happened with Carl or Rick.  
The girl with a horse appeared from nowhere to them and she took Lori to a farm where it seemed that the girl was living.

The forest was getting darker as the sun hid between the trees. They were all tired after a whole day looking for Sophia and no one could deny it. Diane could feel her legs shaking because of exhaustion.

When they arrived at the highway, Andrea and Carol began walking quickly towards the RV. Dale saw them and felt a huge relief to realize that they were all well. He came out the top of the RV and ran to the group just in time to notice that Lori, Rick, Shane and Carl weren't with them. Panic crossed his face, feeling nervous and afraid of what could have happened to them. His heart beat faster when Glenn approached him.

"What happened?" He began asking them.  
"You won't believe it Dale." Glenn started saying, breathing heavily. "This chick came out of nowhere and took Lori. Said Carl was shot."  
"What?" Dale asked confused. He turned to Daryl. "And you let her?"  
Daryl looked at him angrily. "Rick sent her."

Daryl made his way towards the RV, leaving the rest of the group decide what to do next. Diane stood next to Glenn and Dale.  
"She told us where to find her farm." Diane informed the older man, cleaning her hands on her trousers.  
Dale shook his head. "You know Carol isn't going to agree with this. Her girl is out there..."  
"We need to go sooner of later." T-Dog said, a painful expression written all over his face.  
"Let's just go to the RV and talk to the others." Glenn advised them, making his way through the cars.

Dale was right. Carol wouldn't agree with the idea of leaving. Sophia could appear and, if they were gone, she would be alone in a place unknown. That would only make things worse and make her even more terrified than she already was feeling.  
Diane didn't want to abandon Sophia, but the truth is that they could not stay there forever. If she eventually appeared, then it would be better if it was as soon as possible.

They all gathered near the RV to try figure something out about what to do next. Diane walked towards Daryl and stood at his side. When Diane looked at him she smiled shyly Daryl nodded to her.  
Dale was the first to speak. "What do we do?" Since no one answered, he kept talking. "If we have to go, we'll go."  
"We can't leave!" Carol finally spoke. "What if Sophia comes back and we're all gone?" No one answered her. "It could happen..."  
"If Sophia came back and we were all gone..." Andrea began to say, glancing at Carol and then the group. "That would be awful."

They kept silent for a while. Diane looked around everyone and decided it was her turn to speak. "Carol, I don't want to leave. I can't imagine what you're feeling, but I don't feel comfortable with leaving. We can always go tomorrow." She wondered, glancing back at Dale.

Daryl was the one who decided what to do. "Alright, we stay for the night." He told them, looking at Dale.  
"Count me in." Andrea agreed, nodding at Carol. The older woman smiled at her.  
"Thank you." Carol said, thankful. She glanced back and forth Daryl, Diane and Andrea. "Thank you."  
"If the RV's staying than I stay." Dale mumbled, placing his right hand on his hip. Glenn approached them.  
"I'm staying too."  
"No, not you Glenn." Dale answered quickly. He turned his back on them and waved in T-Dog's direction, who was sitting next to the RV with the same painful expression. "You have to take T-Dog with you. He's cut pretty deep." He looked at Diane and showed her a concerned look. "He has a big infection in there and if we don't take care of it… T-Dog will die."  
"He's right." Diane agreed, looking at Glenn. "I did my best with his cut but he needs stitches. And some antibiotics."

Daryl glanced at them before walking to his bike. He picked up a bag full of pills and waved his eyes in their direction.  
"Why didn't you say anything sooner?" He asked, opening the bag and checking for pills. "I got Merle's stash."

He gave Dale a bottle of some antibiotics and painkillers before placing it back in his bike. Diane gave him a weak smile before entering the RV with Carol and Andrea.

Glenn and T-Dog prepared one of the cars to go to that farm. They placed a few bags with them and talked to Dale before nodding and making their way towards the car. T-Dog smiled at them gently, letting them know he would be okay. Diane wished she could've done more for him, but she couldn't do anything without the proper equipment.

Finally, Glenn and T-Dog said goodbye to everyone and entered the car. They nodded before turning on the engine. The second later, Glenn and T-Dog were already gone, going to that Greene's farm. Diane wished they could all be fine when they were all together again.

Andrea and Carol walked by the bed and stayed talking, while Diane made her way towards Daryl.

"Dale, I can keep watch if you want to." She told him gently. "Andrea and Carol are inside. You should go and talk to them."  
"Okay." He got out of the top of the RV and placed his hand on her shoulder before walking towards the women. "If you need anything, call me."  
"Of course." She smiled, climbing the stairs of the RV.

She sat down and looked around her. There were multiple cars on the horizon. The trees were dancing with the wind, while the sun disappeared. The day was almost over. She knew Carol wasn't going to sleep because of the idea of leaving the highway while Sophia was gone. But there was nothing they could do. They were split and the group had to be together. One more night and then they would go to the farm.

"Hey!" Diane called Daryl, waving her hand for him to see her. Daryl looked at her and nodded before climbing the stairs of the RV, with his crossbow in his shoulder. He looked around before sitting next to her, placing gently the crossbow on the ground.

"I said I could take watch. They need to rest." Diane informed him, running her hand through her hair.  
"So do you." Daryl noticed, glancing at her.  
"I'm fine…" She wondered.

Diane remembered when they were at the CDC. She thought about the tears that ran through her face when she was leaving, Daryl forcing her to leave Andrea and Jacqui behind. "You know why I freaked out when Andrea and Jacqui decided to stay in the CDC and… you know, die?" She asked gently, her voice just like a whisper. Daryl looked at her and nodded, not fully understanding what she was trying to tell him.

Diane looked at the trees and took a deep breath. "When I was a kid, thirteen or fourteen years old, life wasn't that easy." She began to say, looking in his eyes for a second. Diane looked down while the memories ran her mind. "Kids usually made fun of me. I didn't understand why, but they used to think I was weird."  
"I think at some point and started believing them." Diane continued, glancing at Daryl from time to time. "When I was fifteen, things got really ugly."  
"How so?" Daryl asked with his husky voice reminding her how comfortable she could feel in his presence.  
"It's hard to remember the memories." Diane told him, placing her hand over his. She leaned herself in his direction, placing her head on his shoulder. "I did things I'm not proud of... You see, I was depressed and that lead me to do things I should never have done."

Daryl was still for a moment, processing what she told him. He figured she was talking about cutting herself. When he looked at her to ask her if what he was thinking was right, she nodded at him and buried her face in his neck. Daryl felt the tears fighting in her eyes to fell. "Ya know you didn't have to do that." He said, wrapping her around his left arm. She shifted on his side, sitting down in front of him and placing her head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her head.  
"I know." Diane finally spoke, her voice more insecure than she wanted. "My father was so important to me… He tried to help. But then he had a car accident. He died when I was sixteen." Diane squeezed his hand. "That's when I got worse. I started smoking and… my grades were awful."  
"Ya got through that and you're here." He tried to comfort her the best way he could. "I don't see the reasons why you would do that. You're fine by me."  
"I guess at that time I didn't see that. But I got help and I'm better now. Much better."  
"Good." Daryl answered her. "So what does that have to do with Andrea?"  
Diane laughed at him. "She wanted to kill herself that day." Diane realized, whispering. "That reminded me of how I used to fell and it frightened me. I knew what she was feeling. The pain, the fear… How she wanted to give up."  
"Ya wanted to stay there too?" Daryl's voice was different now. He seemed concerned for her. Diane shook her head.  
"No, that's not what I mean." She corrected herself quickly. "It's the opposite, actually. I wanted to live and I wanted to show her how much she could change. The world we live in is different and the reasons to stay alive are… Different too. But we still have the people we love and we should enjoy those moments." Diane felt Daryl kissing her head. "I just wanted to_ talk_ to myself when I was sixteen and show _her _it's worth fighting."

Diane leaned her lips onto Daryl's. He smiled at her and squeezed her hand.  
Their lips touched passionately and Diane knew everything was different between them.  
The way their lips moved in sync clearly showed how close they were becoming. Diane could feel the passion and desire in his kiss and she felt exactly the same way towards him.  
And they stayed there, sitting on the top of the RV, hugging each other until night came.

* * *

When the night came, Diane, Daryl, Andrea and Carol were inside the RV while Dale was on watch. It was too dark to be outside and it was dangerous to walk around alone.

The road seemed smaller in the dark of the night. The trees seemed distant and mysterious as the forest seemed like an endless maze that surrounded them on both sides of the road.

Diane was sitting in front of Andrea, who was trying to reload a weapon. Carol was lying in bed at the end of the RV and the only thing they could hear was her crying. She tried to hide the tears but everyone could hear it.

Diane didn't know what to say. She knew how agonizing it was to know that Carol's daughter was in the woods alone, especially at night. The pain was too deep to be described.

Daryl, on the other hand, seemed to be bothered by the situation. He was lying on the floor and he couldn't stop moving. He looked at Diane and Carol for a few seconds only to go back to lean against the hard floor of the RV.

The next time he got up, he looked briefly at Carol and remained standing in there. He moved towards Diane and Andrea. "I'm gonna go out, look for the girl." He warned them. Diane quickly grabbed her knife and bow and got up.  
"I'm coming with you."

He nodded and looked at Carol. She was looking at him, wiping the tears from her face, when Daryl nodded at her and got out of the RV.

They were almost far away from the RV when Andrea got out of the RV and called for them.  
"I'm coming too." She told them. Before she could go, Dale called her and tried to talk to her. They stood there for a few seconds.

While Daryl and Diane waited for Andrea to join them, Diane turned to Daryl and kissed him gently on the lips, placing her hand on his chest. He returned the kiss immediately, grabbing her waits and pulling her close to him.

When she pushed herself away from her, Diane noticed the surprise in his face. "What?" She asked him with a curious tone.  
"Nothin'." He answered, his husky voice making her melt on the inside.

Andrea finally approached them and smiled gently at them, making her way towards the woods.

It was more dangerous and scary to walk in the forest at night. Any sound was able to put them at full alert. With the darkness of the night it was easier not to notice the presence of walkers and Diane was afraid that something might happen to Daryl. She knew he was worried about her, but he wasn't a machine. He was probably too tired because of their search and being there at night wouldn't. However, she said nothing; she feared that he could tell her she was being silly or paranoid.

As much as she didn't want to admit, Diane started to like Daryl too much. The way she felt in his presence was unique. She had never liked someone this much. The passion she felt when their lips touched was inexplicable. And from the moment we like someone, we are liable to get hurt. Diane knew it and that was what scared her. Her world no longer focused only on her survival. It focused on Daryl too, even if she didn't want to admit as well.

Andrea was quiet most of the time. She knew Daryl and Diane were the experts on tracking and hunting. But she didn't like the quiet, so she began talking to them while they were keeping alert to the trees surrounding them.  
Diane was closer to her so Andrea addressed herself to her. "You really think we're going to find Sophia?"  
Before Diane could answer, Daryl mumbled some words and raised his flashlight to Andrea's face. She quickly looked away. "What's wrong with you people?" He wondered, looking through the trees. "Why are ya giving up so quickly? She's gonna be just fine."  
"She's twelve." Andrea noticed, waving her hands.  
"She has a point." Diane spoke. Daryl glanced at her and mumbled something.  
"Hell, I was younger than her when I got lost." Both women heard him say. None of them answered, so he kept talking. "Nine days in the woods, cleanin' my ass with poison oak."  
Diane laughed slightly. Daryl looked at her and kept telling them the story. "I made my way back, though. Went straight to the kitchen and made myself a sandwich."

Andrea looked at him for a few seconds and laughed. Diane laughed with her and Daryl glanced at them with a curious look. "Well, Sophia's got people lookin' for her… I call that an advantage."  
"Hey." Diane called them, grabbing her knife.

She was hearing a sound coming out of some nearby tree. Diane and Daryl walked in its direction. He grabbed his crossbow and looked around. Andrea seemed a little bit nervous, maybe because she wasn't at her best.

When they crossed the bushes, a walker was hanged in a tree and it started growling when the three of them appeared in front of him.  
Daryl walked towards the tree and saw a paper on it. "Got bit, fever hit. World gone to shit, might was well quit." He read it surprised. Diane laughed slightly at it. "Dumbass didn't know how to shut himself in the head."  
"So he hangs himself on the tree?" Diane asked, walking towards Daryl.  
"Look at him. Just like a big piñata." Daryl joked. Diane started to laugh again at his joke. Andrea grabbed her knees and started mumbling a few orders.  
"Are you okay?" Diane asked her, reaching for her.  
"I'm trying not to puke." Andrea was able to talk, still grabbing her knees. Diane touched her shoulder and tried to help her.  
"Well go ahead if you gotta." Daryl advised her. He pointed his flashlight to the walker's legs and it growled even more with Daryl so close.  
"Be careful." Diane warned him, feeling slightly nervous. He looked at her with a curious look and turned his attention to the walker again.  
"The other ones came and ate all the flesh of his legs." Daryl continued wondering.

Andrea couldn't take anymore and Diane heard her puke on the ground. At first she pushed herself away from the woman, but in the next second Diane grabbed her hair and leaned forward in order to help the older woman.  
"I thought we were changing the subject!" Andrea mumbled. Diane smiled at her comment and glanced at Daryl.  
"Come on." Diane told him.

When Andrea was feeling a little bit better, Diane walked over Daryl.  
"We should head back." She warned him, reaching for his arm. She touched him slightly and he nodded at her. When Andrea returned to them Diane stepped back.  
"Are you feeling better?" Diane asked her, touching Andrea's shoulder.  
"Are we being completely honest here?" Andrea asked sincerely. Diane and Daryl nodded. She glanced at Daryl. "An answer for an arrow?" Daryl nodded again. "I… I don't know if I wanna live… Or if I have to…" Andrea continued wondering.

Daryl glanced at Diane but she didn't say anything.  
"Not much of an answer." Daryl mumbled, pointing his crossbow at the walker. The arrow went through the creature's skull and he stopped growling, his head falling. "Waste of an arrow."

The way back was easier. None of them talked about what happened, but Diane knew she had to say something to Andrea. She didn't know if she wanted to live but, at the same time, Diane felt like Andrea knew the answer. Deep down, the woman wanted to live. She just needed to find the reason to do it.

When they returned to camp, Daryl, Diane and Andrea saw Dale and Carol sitting on the top of the RV. Carol quickly got up once realizing that they hadn't found her little girl. Diane felt guilt all over her body. She noticed Daryl was feeling a little bit like her. Dale got up and stood there looking at them. Diane reached for Andrea before the woman entered in the RV.

"Hey, Andrea." Diane called her, grabbing her arm gently. "Look I know how… How you must be feeling. Like everything doesn't make sense." Andrea nodded to her but didn't answer. Diane kept talking. "I know you will find something worth fighting for. You want to use a gun? Then see if Shane can teach you… Or T-Dog, I don't know… You shouldn't give up so easily."

After saying that, Diane entered the RV and walked towards Daryl. They remained silent for the rest of the night, but none of them actually slept.

In the next day they made a big sign on one of the cars. 'Sophia, stay here. We will come every day.'  
Diane couldn't believe they were moving, but the group was separated and that couldn't go on forever.

When they were ready to go, Daryl glanced at her and waved for his bike. She smiled at him and noticed he wanted her to go with him.

The wind in her face was comforting in some way. She wrapped her arms around Daryl's waist and pulled herself close to him. She kissed his ear and felt him flinch at the touch.  
Diane looked to the road they were riding. It was beautiful to see all the nature so close to them. She remembered how she used to miss all the nature when the world wasn't ending.  
And before she knew it, they all saw the farm at the end of the road.


	14. Chapter 14

_**A special thanks to everyone who follows this story, I love you all!**_

_**momoXvolturi: You're so sweet! Thank you! Although it's important to me not having grammar errors in my story. If you see one or more, tell me. Sometimes it's difficult to explain what I want to say in English, because I express myself better in Portuguese. **_

_**Here's chapter fourteen. I think you'll like this one.**_

_**I DO NOT OWN THE WALKING DEAD.**_

* * *

_**Closer**_

In the middle of the field, that was filled with the beautiful green grass that only the country side had, was the farm.  
The house was painted with a white color that was seen even from a distance. The air was refreshing.  
Diane looked above her only to notice the beautiful blue sky with small clouds travelling through it. This place looked separated from all the chaos and danger from the cities.

When Daryl's bike came closer to the farm, Diane saw her group in the small stairs of the house, looking at them. Rick and Lori were holding together as a small smile found their faces. Glenn and T-Dog were in there too. Shane seemed away from everyone and was wearing clothes that didn't match his size.

Diane couldn't describe the relief she felt when she finally realized they were all together again. The group wasn't separated anymore and they could start working things out. A wave of pain washed her chest as she reminded herself that Sophia was still missing. And Carl had been shot. Everything was far from being okay, but they had to work in order to make things easier.

Next to Rick and Lori there were more people that none of them knew. There was an old man who was slightly taller than Rick. He had gray hair and his face was gentle and mysterious at the same time. The way the man looked at the new people made Diane believe that he wasn't enjoying the idea. The woman next to him was older and had long blond hair with a few gray strands. She had her arms crossed in front of her chest and seemed as insecure as the man standing next to her. Behind them there were three more people: two girls and one boy. They were younger than the other ones and Diane immediately recognized the girl who appeared in front of them in the woods. She was the one who took Lori to the farm.

Dale stopped the RV right in front of the house. Carol stepped out of it with open arms and hugged Lori tightly. Daryl stopped his bike next to the RV and Diane ran into Rick and Lori's direction.  
"How is he?" Diane asked worriedly. Lori smiled at her.  
"He'll pull through." Her voice sounded relieved and happy. Rick, standing next to her, smiled as well. "Thanks to Shane, Hershel and his people."  
"What happened?" Dale asked, reaching for them in seconds.  
The couple exchanged looks, probably remembering their worries and concerns for the little boy. Diane grew fond of him as well and she definitely didn't want anything to happen to Carl. He was a good kid.  
"Accident." Rick answered with a laugh. Diane noticed that he laughed because he was still nervous about it. Lori squeezed his hand. "Just a hunting accident."  
"Hunting?" Diane asked with surprise.

Rick and Hershel glanced at each other. Shane, who was slightly separated from them, shifted his position uncomfortably.  
"We'll explain everything later. For now we can put our tents near the farm." Rick told them, disappearing into the house. Lori glanced at the group and followed her husband.  
Diane and the rest of them stayed there, looking at the new people. She supposed Hershel was the older one sense he had exchanged looks with Rick when Diane asked about the hunting accident.

Carol made her way towards the RV with Dale and Andrea. She was glancing back and forth at them and Shane. Diane understood she wanted to know what happened with him and why was he wearing clothes that definitely didn't match his size.  
Diane wanted to know why he was like that too. Daryl looked at her before grabbing her arm and pointed at some nearby trees.  
"We'll camp in there." He informed her, glancing at his bike. "Come on."

Diane made her way towards his bike and sat down behind them. She glanced at the farm house for a few seconds and turned her back at it after. She wrapped her arms around Daryl's waist and saw Dale parking his RV near the farm's entrance. Daryl made his way towards it, parking his bike at its side.

Diane got out of his bike and made her way towards Dale. He was inside of the RV with Carol and Andrea.  
"Hey." She greeted them, entering the RV. "I'm going to get my things, Dale. I have a tent in my backpack."  
"Why are you getting your tent?" Dale asked surprised. Diane glanced around the RV, waving her arms.  
"Look around, Dale. I'm not going to force anyone to sleep in the ground or outside. This is your RV so you'll stay in here." Diane looked at Carol and smiled. "I want you to stay here too."  
Carol smiled gently at her, hugging Diane for a few seconds. Then she made her way to the bed of the RV, making herself more comfortable.

Diane grabbed her backpack, her bow, knife and gun and walked outside the tent just in time to see Glenn and T-Dog coming in her direction. They had bags with them.  
"Hey, T-Dog." Diane called him, smiling. "How's your arm?"  
"You were right." T-Dog quickly pointed out, showing her his arm. He had a big bandage all over it. "Had to take stitches."  
"Told you." She teased, punching him slightly in the other arm. He laughed at her and followed Glenn.

She was expecting to see Daryl right outside the RV, but he wasn't. Near some other trees there was a backpack and a tent on the ground. His crossbow was leaning against a tree and she figured he was going to camp in there. Diane made her way towards him.

When Daryl saw her coming, he glanced at her and smiled. He got up and walked in her direction, cleaning his hands on his trousers.  
"I figured this was your tent." Diane whispered, stopping in front of him. She leaned her head onto his, resting her forehead against Daryl's. "Do you… I mean, I don't know, maybe it's not a good idea." She mumbled, feeling her cheeks burn.

Daryl walked away from her and began preparing his tent.  
"Spill it out." He told her.  
Diane walked in his direction again and looked down.  
"Do you think I can stay in your tent?" She asked. The relief of finally asking him out loud what was bothering her since she got her stuff from the RV was obvious. Daryl looked at her surprised. "I can't sleep in the RV."  
"Why not?" He asked curiously. Diane shrugged.  
"There's no room for me." She waved her hands in defeat. "If you don't want to I can always pre…"  
"It's fine." Daryl answered her, making Diane interrupt her sentence. He wasn't looking at her when he said it, but Diane could feel he was excited about it.  
"I'll help you with the tent then." She informed him, placing her hand on his shoulder.

Daryl nodded at her and waited for Diane to place her backpack on the ground. She also placed her bow on the ground and tied her hair in a ponytail.

Daryl showed her how to attach the tent to the ground in a way that avoided the cold of the night to enter tent, something she didn't know.  
However, Diane knew her own tricks. She knew how to build a tent in a way that provided them more space. Although Daryl's tent was big enough for them because he had shared it with his brother in Atlanta.

After they prepared the tent, Diane went inside to see how it was. She noticed that the tent was really roomy. She could sleep in a corner while Daryl could easily sleep in another, which was not what she wanted. Diane sighed as she placed her backpack, bow and knife in a corner. Daryl also came and put his crossbow in the same corner.  
"We should put this on the ground." Daryl said, taking a dark blue blanket from his backpack. Diane gasped and looked at him surprised.  
"It's great!" She exclaimed, grabbing one end of the blanket. The two laid it on the ground and sighed. "At night we won't be so cold." Diane whispered, running a hand through her short hair.  
Daryl nodded and continued to organize his things.

When everything was ready, Diane told Daryl that she was going to gather near the rest of the group. Daryl said he was going to the forest to look for squirrels for their dinner and although Diane felt a little worried, he was gone before she could do anything.

Diane understood what it meant to be part of Daryl's life. He couldn't be controlled whenever she wanted and Diane knew it perfectly. He needed his own space as well as Diane needed her own. However, the fact that the world was different and increasingly dangerous meant that she felt worried whenever he away from her. But Diane knew he felt exactly the same.

Rick met the rest of the group an hour later. He told them how Shane risked his life to save Carl. He told them of Otis and how the man had fired at a deer and the bullet had accidentally hit on Carl. Diane understood now that Shane was probably wearing Otis's clothes.

She sat with the others for lunch. Glenn sat next to the girl and smiled. Daryl hadn't arrived yet and he most likely would be missing lunch. Rick and Lori were preparing their tent and left into Hershel's house to stay with Carl.

Carol sat right next to Diane and handed her a plate of beans. Diane looked at the plate and sighed. The only things that they ate since the CDC were beans. Carol noticed the discontent of Diane and squeezed her shoulder lightly. Diane looked at her and smiled.  
While Diane felt comforted by Carol's touch, she felt she was the one that had to comfort Carol. Diane didn't need anyone to comfort her, unlike Carol.

"Tomorrow I'll go out and look for Sophia." Diane told her with a shy smile. Carol smiled.  
"I'm so grateful for what you're doing, Diane." Carol replied, swallowing a mouthful of beans. "Thank you."  
"No problem." Diane answered, eating the beans as well.

They stayed for two hours just sitting around and talking. Diane heard Glenn tell them again the time when he was kidnapped by a group while they were searching for Merle. Diane remembered perfectly the panic she felt when she saw Glenn being dragged into the car and disappear in front of her. She remembered how Rick decided to enter into the group's refuge to rescue Glenn ... And how it all changed when they realized what that place was.

Dale returned to tell them stories of other times. They left his mind wonder at the thoughts. Andrea sat beside him with a distant look, glancing at Shane who was on watch on top of the RV.

T-Dog also told them the day they had met Rick and how Merle was out of control. According to T-Dog, Rick had done what had to be done a long time ago, regardless Daryl's opinion. Diane shivered at the thought of Daryl's childhood and how much he had suffered with his family. She shook her head for a few seconds and caught Daryl returning from the woods.

She excused herself and Carol took her plate from her lap. Diane smiled at her and got up.  
She walked towards her and Daryl's tent while running a hand through her hair.

Daryl was already inside the tent when she reached it. Diane unzipped the tent and entered it quickly.

"Hey." She greeted him, taking off her shoes.  
"Hey." Daryl answered her, placing his crossbow on the ground.  
"How was your hunt?" Diane asked, walking towards him. He turned in her direction, watching her moves carefully. She touched his left arm and grabbed his hand.  
"Fine." His husky voice made her shiver from excitement. "Got us some squirrels."  
"For dinner?" Diane asked playfully, placing her hand on his chest. He shivered at the touch.  
"Maybe." Daryl was able to answer.

Diane walked towards him with a smile. She reached for his shirt and tried to unbutton it. Daryl grabbed her hand. "What are ya doin'?"  
She bit her lip. "It's just…" She wondered, still unbuttoning the small buttons. When his shirt was opened, Diane looked at his bare chest. He had small and big scars scattered across his skin. Diane ran her hand through them and kissed a scar on his chest. Daryl flinch at the touch and tried to grab her hand again. "What's wrong?" Diane asked whispering.

Daryl wasn't able to explain what he was feeling. The feelings were too intense for him to combine them in order to feel comfortable and excited. The only thing he felt was fear and insecurity that things went wrong. He had never been with a girl before.

Daryl looked in her eyes and she showed no signs of wanting to leave or stop what they were doing. "Nothin'." Daryl answered her.

Diane smiled and took off his shirt. She placed it in the ground and looked at his bare chest again. She took a deep breath and took off her own shirt, placing at the ground too.  
Daryl glanced at her chest and looked away. He couldn't do this. He glanced at her arms and saw her scars, ones deeper than others.  
"I have them too." She whispered, walking towards him. Her body was crushing on his, making him feel the urge to grab her and kiss her immediately. But he didn't. He let her do what she wanted, because he was frozen. "Maybe not from the same reasons. But I have scars."

Daryl glanced at her chest again, while Diane took off her bra. She looked in his eyes for a few seconds before letting go of it and throwing it to the ground.  
He felt completely intoxicated with her. She was too good for him and Daryl didn't know how to react to what she wanted to do. But on the other hand, his desire was increasing as she made her way towards him. Daryl tentatively explored her body, caressing her arms. He placed his hand on her chest and Diane approached him a little bit more, putting each of her hands in his face. Then Diane gave him a soft kiss that made him feel even more excited. His pants seem tighter and Diane guided him to a small bed that he had done.

Daryl sat softly, studying the girl's movements. She sat on his lap and their lips touched lightly, leaving a burning desire in the air. Daryl moaned softly, which made her feel confident.

Before he knew it, they were together as one, enjoying the presence of one another. They were happier than ever and Daryl understood that while he held her in his arms, not wanting to let go of her for anything in this world.


	15. Chapter 15

_**I want to thank everyone who favorite, reviewed and followed. It means a lot to me! Here's chapter fifteen.**_

_**I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE WALKING DEAD.**_

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**Stepping in the Dark**

It seemed almost strange, even a little surreal, the way they didn't feel the cold coming from outside.  
The sun may have warmed the space they had, but it was also the fact that they are both wrapped around each other in a blanket that kept them warm.

The previous night had been a mixture of emotions and feelings that neither of them could fully understand. For Daryl, everything was new. All the excitement and pleasure he got from that experience made him feared that his feelings towards Diane had changed. She was important to him, more than ever. He never would've guessed the importance that girl would have on his life.  
But Daryl was also afraid. However, he'd grown up in an environment where it was easy to hide the fear and angriness, so nobody noticed when Daryl felt scared. Maybe Diane was the only one capable of understanding.  
For Diane, the night they had together had proved to her that they had something special. Diane had never been confident around other people and let them see her scars. She felt uncomfortable with the judgmental looks from other people, but Daryl had looked at her with fond and concern.

Diane had her head gently placed on top of Daryl's chest, so that her forehead touched his chin. Daryl had his left arm around the girl, holding her close and safe.  
She was awake with eyes fixed on a scar that ran the right side of his chest. Diane's finger timidly stroked the scar, feeling its touch and the fragile skin under her finger.  
She thought about what could have happened to Daryl for him to have all those scars. Was it his father who made them? Or was it his brother? And what did they use to hurt him?  
Diane realized that Daryl's past made him who he was. All the pain was still there inside him but Daryl was only used receive anger or hatred. Therefore, those were the only feelings he demonstrated towards other people. Diane also knew that Daryl was very brave for being so close to her.

Daryl moved underneath the girl, caressing the bottom of her back. "Good morning." He sighed at her, feeling Diane stretch and yawn. She also moved. Diane looked at him for a few seconds and curled up between his shoulder and neck. Then she placed her hand on Daryl's face and stroked his beard, which was already noticeable on his chin.

"Good morning." The girl replied. Daryl yawned as well. "I can't believe I'm not freezing in here. It must be so cold outside."  
"Probably." Daryl agreed, stretching. He was realized he had slept shirtless, and so did Diane. He moved her in order to get up. When he did, Diane glanced at him with curiosity. "I'm goin' hunting." Daryl warned her, noticing her surprise.  
He used to leave early when no one was awake to hunt and find food for the group. He would most likely search for Sophia during the time he was on the field.  
"Can I go with you?" Diane asked, yawning again. Daryl grabbed one of his sleeveless t-shirts and hid his back from her.  
He was standing in front of her and the second after he got up and moved away from the Diane's body, Daryl began to feel the cold coming from outside. He dressed quickly and buttoned his shirt in a few seconds. Daryl sat down beside her and began to put his shoes on his feet.  
Diane rested her head in one hand, looking at him. Diane covered her chest with a blanket and studied his movements.  
"Ya should stay here." Daryl finally answered, getting up again. He grabbed his crossbow and unzipped the tent. Diane covered herself a little more with the blanket because of the cold. "I'll be back in a couple of hours." Daryl informed her before storming out of the tent.

Diane didn't have time to protest his decision, so she decided to lie down for a few more hours. The sky was still dark and she could hear the birds singing outside, making her feel more comfortable. Diane curled up in the blanket again, sighing. This time there was no Daryl to keep her warm, but she closed her eyes and calmly sank into a deep sleep.

_She was sitting on the bed with her arms around her knees. Diane's chin was resting gently on top of her arms. She focused on a random point of the room, breathing wearily.  
Someone knocked at the door. Diane flinched at the sound, but stood firm. Her father came through the door, asking permission to enter.  
Diane's father was in his forties. He had short dark brown hair, which reminded her of dark wood. He sat down with a sigh beside his daughter. The man looked tired and his big green eyes had dark circles around them showing how exhausted he was feeling.  
"What do you want?" Diane asked coldly, trying to keep her distance from everyone. She wasn't in the mood to listen to her father trying to help her.  
"I'm just here to talk." The older man warned her, whispering. "Your mother told me that you didn't like your psychiatrist." His voice was firm but Diane could still here the pain in his voice. She shrugged.  
"She was so stupid." Diane let out a laugh, remembering the old woman who she had talked in the afternoon. "Do I have to talk to her again?"  
The man ran his hand through his hair. "I don't know, D." He admitted, sighing. "If you don't like her, than I don't think she's gonna help you."  
Diane smiled. Her father understood her, even if he couldn't comprehend the reasons that led her to do what she did.  
"I suppose you can talk to Sue." The man finally spoke, smiling. "She's such a nice lady."  
"I don't remember her." Diane reminded him.  
"When I took you with me to work you used to ran to her like she was your savior." He admitted again, smiling to the memories. "She's a good woman; I know you'll like her. And I just want you to be happy, you know?"  
Diane nodded. "I'll go." She agreed, feeling calmer.  
"Sean is worried about you." He said, getting up. "We're all worried about you."  
"You don't need to be."  
The man opened the door and before he left, he kissed his daughter's forehead.  
"Of course I'm worried." He said. "You're my daughter, D. And I love you."_

She quickly opened her eyes and realized that she was in the tent. Diane stretched for a few seconds and then rubbed her eyes. She blinked a few times and sat up, looking around the tent. She had never dreamed about her last conversation with her father. Diane remembered perfectly that day and how her father had understood her. She was expecting him to judge her and to put Diane in a mental hospital, but he did what she wasn't expecting for him to do. The fact that in the next day her father had disappeared forever from her life made Diane feel lonelier and she began pushing people away again.  
Diane remembered her brother, Sean. Every day there was an endless hole that stuck in her chest, preventing Diane to forget the past. How could she forget everything that had happened? She sighed, standing up and throwing the blanket to a corner of the tent.  
She grabbed her black t-shirt and put it on. Diane searched for her jacket in her backpack and found it at the bottom. She grabbed the jacket and shoved her arms in its sleeves, then rubbing her face with her hands.  
Diane found her brush and after picking it up from the ground she combed her hair. It was full of knots, which made Diane sighed. Every morning was the same. She grabbed a rubber band, and after have taken all the knots of her hair, she made a ponytail.

When she was ready to leave the tent, Diane unzipped it and made her way outside, blinking her eyes because of the light.  
It was not as cold as when Daryl left, but Diane felt the cool morning air entering her lungs. She breathed in the smell of wetland and forest that she loved. Diane felt that smell when she was with Daryl too, because he already had that smell himself. And she loved it.  
The sun peeked through the leaves of the trees, warming the Diane's skin, causing her to close her eyes and enjoy the warmth. The birds continued to sing, this time in a lower tone. Diane opened her eyes and looked toward the forest. Daryl should have taken that path and she knew he wanted to be alone while he was hunting. And, most likely, he would return in the afternoon, after they had already eaten whatever Carol had prepared for them.

Diane looked around and saw the Hershel's house on her right. The house looked big and beautiful from where she was. It had been a while since Diane stepped in a house. She sighed again before making her way to the small fire they had prepared the previous night. Glenn, T-Dog, Shane, Andrea and Carol were sitting in there, eating breakfast. Rick and Lori were most likely at Hershel's house with Carl. Dale was sitting on top of the RV and when he saw Diane, he smiled at her. Diane smiled back.

"Good morning." She greeted the group, sitting next to Glenn. They all greeted her back and remained eating their food. Carol got up and brought her a plate of cereals.  
"Hershel gave it to us." Carol explained, smiling. "He seems like a decent man."  
"Thanks." Diane answered Carol and received her own plate of cereals, smiling at the food. "It's been a long time since I ate cereals."  
"Yeah, me too." Glenn agreed, laughing awkwardly. T-Dog retrieved the smile, eating his own food.  
"How's your arm?" Diane asked him, pointing at the man's left arm, which was still wrapped in a big bandage. He looked at it too.  
"Better." T-Dog answered, taking a bite of cereals to his mouth.  
"Good." Diane smiled back and returned her attention to her plate, eating the cereals in silence.

The group was silent for a few minutes while they finished breakfast. Diane assumed that Dale had already eaten, because he wasn't there with them. Shane was the first to finish his food and made his way towards the RV. When he returned he had a black bag on his hand. He sat at a table away from the fire and took some weapons from the bag and placed them on the table. Andrea stood up quickly, cleaned her plate and joined him.  
Glenn, T-Dog and Carol were still with Diane near the fire finishing their food. After a few minutes, Diane noticed that the girl who had brought Lori to the farm was leaving her house toward their camp.  
Dale came down from the top of the RV, with the binoculars lying on his chest. Shane looked toward the girl but remained in his seat, teaching Andrea how to reload a weapon.

Carol stood up and addressed the dishes everyone, smiling and sighing at the same time. Diane could tell she was trying to fill your head with activities that will occupy much time, but it was not working.  
When the girl finally got to meet them, Dale turned to her and began to ask about the water situation. The girl was to explain everything when Diane got up and walked toward them.  
"Hey." She greeted Dale, looking at the girl. "I'm Diane."  
"Maggie." The girl answered her, smiling. Diane crossed her arms in her chest and looked around.  
"Rick's in the house, right?" Diane asked her, pointing at the house behind Maggie. The girl nodded.  
"Yes, with his boy and Lori." She added.  
"Can I go see them?" Diane asked, feeling the need to check up on Carl. Maggie smiled at her.  
"Of course." She waved towards the house. "My dad's probably there. He'll show you the room."

Diane nodded and made her way towards the house. She was worried about Carl because she hadn't seen him for days. The boy had been shot and although Diane knew that he would be fine, she was still worried about him.  
Diane walked quickly through the grass towards Hershel's house and she reached it in a few seconds, climbing the small stairs from the house with hesitation.  
The porch was beautiful and it had a small rocking chair on its right corner. It was decorated with several plants; many of them had already dried. Diane looked around and peered through the window, hoping to see someone on the inside. As there was nobody there, Diane grabbed the doorknob and noticed that the door was open. She quietly opened it, only to find Hershel climbing down the stairs. His face looked tired and he glanced at her surprised.

"Good morning." Diane began to talk, closing the door behind her. "The door was opened, I'm sorry."  
"It's okay." The older man said. He had a deep voice that reminded her of a former teacher's voice she had when Diane was in high school. "We should keep it closed but I reckon Maggie is in your camp right now."  
"She is." Diane agreed, smiling. "I just wanted to check on Carl."  
Hershel gently smiled at her and pointed at a door on his right side. Diane glanced between the door and Hershel. "He's in there with his parents."  
Diane nodded and made her way towards the door, leaving Hershel alone in the living room.

Diane opened the door quietly to not scare anyone. She realized that they allowed Carl to stay in one of their bedrooms. There were pictures on the walls that appeared to have been painted long ago, most of them were portraits. On the left there was a closet with some pictures on top of it and a plate with food. Diane looked to her right and noticed the bed that was facing the window. Lori and Rick were on the other corner of the room. Rick looked toward Diane and nodded, while Lori's head was lying in bed with her hand grabbing Carl's.  
Diane looked at the boy and she couldn't contain a smile. Although he was quite pale and breathing heavily, Diane could see that he was recovering. She had treated gunshot wounds before and the boy's skin was becoming increasingly better, making the dark purple color disappeared slowly. His chest was up and down as Carl slept heavily, his eyes permanently closed.  
"Hey." Diane told them, sitting in a chair next to Carl. She grabbed his other hand and glanced at Rick. "He's been sleeping all this time?"  
"He woke up a few moments ago." Rick informed her, his voice whispering. He looked tired, as he hadn't slept for days. Rick sighed. "Asked about Sophia."  
Diane tensed at the mention of the little girl's name. "What did you say?"  
Rick shifted in his seat. "I told him she was fine."  
Diane smiled at the sheriff. She glanced at Carl and squeezed his hand. "You did the right thing, you know? He doesn't have to worry about her, not right now."  
Rick didn't answer her. He kept his gaze in the boy, clearly feeling worried about his son.  
"My brother got hurt once." Diane wondered. "It wasn't a gunshot wound, but he needed surgery." Rick didn't answer her so Diane kept talking. "He was playing on the street with some friends and he decided to jump from a wall so high he could've gotten killed." Diane laughed as she remembered her parents panic. "My dad took him to the hospital and I had to go with my mom. It was horrible."  
Rick smiled then, looking at the girl. "She kept screaming and crying and I was worried she was going to have an accident."  
Carl shifted in the bed and that made Lori shift as well. Rick placed his other hand on his wife's head and stroked it several times.  
"My dad told me that he was fine. And now I know he wasn't." Diane informed him. "He lied to me but I didn't get mad at him. He was sort of protecting me."

Rick kept his gaze fixed on his son, when someone opened the door. Diane turned and looked at who had opened the door.  
"Diane, we need your help." Dale told her, his riffle on his shoulder.  
"Something wrong?" Rick asked the older man. Diane got up and walked towards Dale.  
"Nothing, Rick." Dale answered quickly. "Just keep watching your boy."

Dale and Diane left the house and they walked to the right side of the farm. She let him guide her until she realized they were going to a one of the wells. Glenn, Shane, T-Dog, Andrea and Maggie were there. They were leaning over the pit, as if peering into something they saw inside.  
Dale and Diane noticed that Lori had left home and was running toward the group. They waited for her and when Lori came to meet them, the three made their way to the pit.

"What's happening?" Diane asked Dale when they met the group. Shane walked towards her.  
"Look what we got ourselves in there." He told her, pointing at the pit. Diane walked over to it and peered into it.  
Before she actually looked at the walker, Diane heard his growls, desperately waiting for food. The walker was inside the pit, stretching his arms as much as it could. Once he saw Diane, his grunts rose and he dug what was left of his nails on the wall.  
"Look at it." Diane mumbled, feeling sick with the view. It smelled of rotten meat and guts. "This is sick, how are we supposed to take it out?"  
Everyone went silent for a while. Diane got up and looked around. "We shoot it." Dale proposed, glancing at the group.  
"That's a good idea." Shane began to say, grabbing his gun. Diane placed her hand on it, preventing him from shooting the walker. He looked at her surprised.  
"It's a terrible idea." Diane confessed, glancing at the walker."  
"If that thing hasn't contaminated the water yet, blowing his brains out will finish the job." Andrea agreed, running a hand through her hair.  
"So what do we do?" Shane wondered.  
Andrea got up and looked around. "We need live bait."

Diane looked at her surprised. If she meant that they needed someone to come down the pit, Andrea was crazy.  
Suddenly, Diane realized, just like Maggie, that everyone else was looking at Glenn, as if knowing who to send down the pit. Diane snorted, muttering some words that none of them could hear. Maggie looked horrified, and when Glenn turned his gaze to the group, he realized the idea.

When they gathered up a few minutes later, Dale had a rope in his hand. He handed it to Shane who began wrapping the rope around Glenn's waist. Diane and T-Dog wrapped the rest of the rope to a red pole. Lori approached them for help, as well as Dale.  
Glenn murmured some things to Shane, but he didn't answer him. Diane, who was watching the whole scene, turned her back at them and snorted.  
"This is not normal." She said after wrapping the rope tightly to the pole.  
"It's our best chance." Lori whispered, squeezing Diane's arm. The girl gave her an angry look and walked towards Glenn.  
The boy was looking at all of them and before realizing Diane was walking towards him, Glenn glanced at Maggie. She looked away with her arms across her chest.  
"Are you sure about this?" Diane asked, squeezing Glenn's hand. They had gotten pretty close.  
"Yeah, it's fine." He answered, glancing at the walker.  
"We got you." T-Dog repeated, grabbing Diane's arm so she could back off. She took one last look at Glenn and grabbed the rope.

Maggie and Lori were behind them with the horse. They got the animal so they could lower Glenn until he was able to wrap the rope around the walker's neck.  
"A little lower." They heard Glenn asking. Maggie and Lori kept the horse steady, backing a few steps in order to cut loose some of the rope. "Lower." Glenn kept saying.  
"You people are crazy." Maggie confessed, with her arms still crossed in her chest.  
"I know right?!" Diane grunted, feeling the sweat in her forehead.  
"Give us an eye in there Maggie." Dale asked the girl, feeling nervous as well.  
Maggie did what Dale asked her, putting down on her knees.  
"Everything okay?" She asked Glenn, her voice showing how nervous she was.  
"Yeah!" Glenn said, his voice higher than normal. He looked at the walker and sighed. "Living the dream."

As if nothing could go worse, the group heard a loud _click_ coming from the pole which held the rope.  
Everything happened very quickly: seconds after, the pole came off the ground and ran through at least two feet. The group heard Glenn's screams, asking them to push him away from the walker. T-Dog ran quickly toward the pole and grabbed it. However, he couldn't grab it the pole for a long time and it slid across the ground again. When the group was able to join T-Dog, they grabbed the pole and began to pull Glenn out.  
They could still hear the screams while Glenn pulled himself up. Diane did all the strength she could do and they all shouted at the boy.

When Glenn's head appeared in front of them, their hearts beat strongly. Shane, Lori and Diane ran quickly towards Glenn and pulled him out.  
Glenn fell on his knees and put his hands on the ground, breathing heavily, as if he wasn't getting enough air on his lungs. Diane and Lori knelt with him and rubbed his back, their hearts almost exploding.  
"There goes our chance." Shane mumbled, kicking the ground. Glenn heard him say that and looked at the man, smiling.  
With all the strength left in his body, Glenn placed the rope on Dale's hand, pulling himself away from the well. Dale looked at him surprised and walked towards the well.

Although Glenn almost died, he was able to wrap the rope across the walkers head.  
Everyone looked at him surprised until the smiles began appearing in their faces. Maggie was still horrified at the situation.  
"You bastard." Diane teased, taking a deep breath. "You scared the shit out of me."  
"What about me?" Glenn asked, running a hand through his hair.  
Diane laughed, feeling the tension slowly disappearing.

They all gathered again and this time they pulled the walker out. T-Dog was near the well, telling them to keep pushing the rope.  
"Come on." He told them, waving his hands in the air. Diane mumbled some words, catching Glenn's glances at Maggie.  
"Almost." T-Dog warned them, stepping away from the well.  
"Watch out, T!" Shane yelled, warning the man to keep away from the walker.

Somehow, the walker's pants were trapped in the pit and they couldn't pull him over. T-Dog continued to tell them to pull the rope to loosen the belt of the walker's pants from the pit, but it was no use.

Suddenly, they heard the sound of bones and skin tearing up. The walker's skin tore in half and the bottom of his whole body fell into the pit again. T-Dog looked down at the ground, not wanting to believe that all that effort was in vain. The walker's guts were scattered in the water and he continued to crawl on the floor, desperate to bite each one of them.

The group gathered near the walker and everyone looked at it without knowing what to do.  
T-Dog walked towards the walker and smashed the creature's head with a shovel. The brains were all over the floor, as well as the blood. Maggie moved away from the group, feeling sick with what she was seeing. Diane looked away as well.  
"Good thing we didn't do anything stupid like shoot it." T-Dog teased, stepping away from the body.

Diane decided she couldn't stand that smell and the brains scattered on the floor anymore. She stepped away from the group and headed to camp to grab her bow, knife and gun to go out and look for Sophia. She glanced at the sky and noticed it was too late to go to the woods. Daryl would be furious if she returned alone at night.

The moment she saw the RV, Diane saw Daryl getting inside it. Diane smiled, feeling happy and relieved to know that he had finally arrived.

When Diane approached the RV, she heard a conversation between Daryl and Carol, realizing that he had brought a flower to the older woman. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to interrupt their conversation, so Diane walked through their camp toward her tent, feeling her legs tremble with every effort made in a single day.


	16. Chapter 16

_**I want to thank everyone who favorite, reviewed and followed. It means a lot to me! Here's chapter sixteen. I'm sorry it took so long, but I have been really really busy. I hope you guys forgive me.**_

_**I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE WALKING DEAD.**_

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**The woods**

Diane entered the tent and placed her gun on top of the suitcase. She yawned and looked around, realizing that the blanket was spread through the ground. Diane grabbed it, folded it and placed it in a corner. Then, Diane laid on the right side of the tent and closed her eyes slightly.  
She stayed like that for a few minutes. She focused on the sound coming from outside: the footsteps, the birds singing in tune with the wind, the trees shaking with the sound. The smell of wet earth was more intense when Diane was closer to the ground. She loved that smell. Diane loosened the hair and combed it gently with her fingers, lying down on her side afterwards.

Diane heard the sound of someone unzipping the tent and a smile spread immediately across her face. Daryl gave a small laugh when he noticed that Diane was lying in the tent. She noticed his typical smell of earth and she felt even more comfortable.  
Daryl landed his crossbow on the floor beside Diane's bow and removed his boots. He smiled at the girl lying before him, who was watching him over her shoulder to see what he was doing.  
"Tired already?" He asked, lying down with her. Daryl wrapped his arms around her and his nose touched the girl's neck. She shivered at the touch and cuddled with him.  
"It's been quite a day." Diane teased, smiling again. "Did you get anything?"  
Daryl shrugged. "Not much. Got some squirrels for dinner."  
"Sounds good." She teased him again, this time laughing at the thought of eating squirrels for the thousandth time. "What about Sophia?"  
The mention of Sophia's name brought them a feeling of pain and nervousness. Daryl swallowed and then squeezed her hand. "Nothin'."  
Diane closed her eyes for a few seconds. She couldn't even imagine Carol's anxiety, fear or despair.  
"You'll try again tomorrow." Diane encouraged him, turning her head towards him.  
"Yeah. Maybe I'll borrow a horse." Daryl smiled at the thought, letting his mind wonder about tomorrow's plan.

Diane caught his gaze, smiling at him. She squeezed his hand again and sat on his lap, feeling the surprise in his body as he immediately tensed up at her touch.  
Diane let her hands land on his chest. She rubbed his chest and arms, somehow trying to make him feel better.  
Daryl caught her gaze as well, feeling the need to feel her lips against his.  
Daryl placed his hand on the bottom of her back and sat with her, keeping Diane safely on his lap. She laughed at his surprising action and placed her hand on his cheek. Her skin burned at the touch.  
She leaned towards him, their noses touching and releasing intoxicating sparks through their bodies. Diane was so close and yet so far. He wanted to feel her closer to him, as close as anyone could be. And Diane felt exactly the same. She brushed her lips to his, feeling Daryl's breath on her face, making her want him even more. Diane slowly unbuttoned his t-shirt; each of her movements causing Daryl to shiver at the touch from all the excitement.  
Diane's hands were soft and he wanted her to keep touching him. Her body felt so good beside him. When she finally unbuttoned the t-shirt, Diane threw it to the ground, staring at the scars that crossed Daryl's chest and belly. The girl rested her left hand on one of the worst scars and Daryl shivered at the touch. He groaned silently, which was enough to encourage Diane. She removed her jacket slowly, leaving time for Daryl to fix his gaze on her and study her movements. Diane smiled softly and in a few seconds she removed her t-shirt as well, leaving only her bra.

Daryl slid his gaze to the girl's chest, studying all its fragile structure. Diane grabbed his hand and guided it through her body and at the same time, she studied the man's look.  
Daryl was too excited to notice that Diane was studying him. He placed his hand on her lower back and leaned towards her again.  
Their chest touched and they both felt again sparks of desire and excitement radiating throughout their body. Diane placed her hands on each of Daryl's cheeks and leaned her lips to his. This time, he closed the space between them, kissing her madly. Her mouth tasted like that seductive and irresistible flavor that drove him crazy. Diane grabbed Daryl's hair, pulling him against her. The kiss was passionate and crazy, making them moan with every touch. Diane let her tongue into his mouth, making him groan again. He used his tongue the same way, completing the kiss wildly. She led him back to her chest, tilting her head back, exposing all her long neck. Daryl kissed Diane's jaw and neck. He bit it gently only to make her groan a little louder. Daryl closed his eyes and felt his pants get tighter.

She approached him again, running the zipper of his pants in a hurry. He studied her movements again and she glanced at him. They locked their gazes for a few seconds. She looked like a wild animal: the blond hair flowed down her face and her green eyes looked like green flames. Daryl smiled at the sight, opening the zipper of her pants.

Diane let him take her pants off slowly. Daryl threw them against a corner of the tent and took off his own pants as well.  
She breathed heavily before letting him place her gently on the ground. Diane locked her gaze in Daryl as he put each of her thighs wrapped around his waist. Daryl leaned her towards him by placing his hand on the bottom of her back.

And finally, Daryl entered her, his whole body exploding into a feeling of immense pleasure. He knew it wouldn't last long.  
Diane dug her nails into his shoulders, closing her eyes and enjoying the sensation of pleasure she felt.  
She blurted out his name several times, making him feel wanted and at the same time, wanting her even more. She kissed him desperately. Sweat was forming on her forehead as well as in Daryl's.

He rushed his movements, feeling a wave of pleasure again exploding in his body. This time, he wasn't able to control it. A wave of pleasure found him, causing Daryl to lean on her, biting her neck slightly. Diane felt exactly the same and Daryl softly clapped her mouth to prevent her to do too much noise.

When all that explosive feeling ended, Daryl and Diane laid down exhausted on the ground.  
He left his head rest on her chest while Diane passed her hand through his hair affectionately.  
Their bodies shook with pleasure, still intoxicated by the passionate sex they had done.  
They stayed there for a few minutes; only the two of them existed at that moment and neither Diane nor Daryl wanted to let that moment escape.  
She slid her gaze to his back and that's when she first saw them. The scars he carried from his childhood were large and deep, each telling a different story that had marked him for life. Diane slipped her hand through each one of them, feeling Daryl constantly shudder at the touch.  
"You don't have to be ashamed of them." Diane broke the silence, stroking his hair. Daryl stood still, with his head on her chest. She kept talking. "We all have stories to tell and those scars you have," She placed her hand on Daryl's back again. "They tell a story as well."  
Daryl grabbed her hand and got up, taking her with him. She stood in front of him. They didn't have any clothes on, and Diane thought that she couldn't be any more vulnerable towards one person than she was now.  
"And I think you're very brave." Her words whispered in his ear while she hugged him tightly. Daryl hugged her as well. He had never felt more complete with someone's presence than hers. She was everything he wanted.

Diane hugged him firmly, without intending to let him go so easily. When the two began to shiver, Diane laughed slightly and took his clothes, handing him them quickly. Diane grabbed her pants and top and dressed quickly. Then she took her jacket and grabbed her bow.

Daryl decided that he should go alone to look for Sophia. He didn't want Diane to be with him because something could happen to her. But even though Diane was so important to him, Daryl wasn't able to give her the benefit of the doubt. When she asked him why he didn't want her to go with him, Daryl shrugged. "You'd slow me down." He replied, picking up the crossbow and walking towards Rick and the others.  
Diane also shrugged and sighed. Daryl couldn't forbid her to go looking for Sophia. Diane always knew to take care of herself alone and she didn't have to put up with Daryl treating her as if she was a child.

Diane walked toward Rick, Daryl and the others. They were talking about where they would look for the girl and before Diane could join them, Dale called her.

"Diane!" She heard him call her, waving his hand. Dale was on top of his RV keeping watch. Diane climbed it and joined him, crossing her arms across her chest.  
"What is it, Dale?" Diane asked.  
"I wanted to thank you, about what you did with Glenn."  
"It was nothing." She answered quickly, smiling at the older man. "I know Daryl doesn't want me wondering around the woods alone, but this afternoon I'm going to look for Sophia."  
Dale looked at her with a surprise look on his face. He glanced at Rick and Daryl before returning his face to hers. "Are you sure about this?"  
"Hell yeah." Diane answered quickly, punching him in the shoulder with her own. "I'm going right after Daryl leaves."

Diane walked over to her tent after talking to Dale. She knew Daryl would hate the idea of her alone in the woods, but she wanted to contribute and the only way to do that was going to look for Sophia.  
She entered her tent and grabbed her bow and gun. She placed the knife on its pocket again and walked out of the tent quickly.  
Before she could follow a track from the nearby woods, Shane appeared in front of her.  
"Where are you goin'?" He asked silently, walking towards her direction. Diane stood still and looked around.  
"Going out." She answered quickly.  
Shane watched her movements for a brief second. Diane was walking away from him when Shane started talking again.  
"Look, I think it is sweet you want to find Sophia." He glanced at her before looking around. He waved his hands in the air and gave her a provocative smile. "You have to accept that she ain't alive anymore."  
"I think you should keep your mouth shut." Diane interrupted him, shifting her bow on her shoulder. "Do you think you're actually helping the group by talkin'? I don't think so, Shane."  
"Watch your mouth." He warned her, walking towards her. She grabbed her bow quickly and stepped away from him.  
"You don't just talk." Diane informed him, remembering the conversation she heard between him and Lori. She shivered at the thought of any women being capable of loving this man. But she kept focused on him. "I know about you and Lori, so you don't just talk. You also do things, but do you want Rick to find out? Why don't you back off and leave them alone? I think the best thing you do is talking about what bothers you, because things aren't the way you want them to be. Get this in your head: Rick is in charge here, not you."  
Diane left him in there, near her tent. But Shane insisted.  
"Ya think he's the one who keeps everyone safe?" He asked. Diane turned her head and glanced at him.  
"Of course. It never crossed my mind that you would keep me safe."

Diane didn't let him finish. She vanished through the woods and shifted her bow.  
The woods were darker than before. She felt a cold breeze run through her body and Diane cursed herself for not bringing a better jacket.  
She did know that Daryl was near her. If he found out that she had gone to the woods by herself, he would be really mad at her for not doing what he told her to do. However, Diane knew exactly how to take care of herself.

She ran through the woods in silence, remaining alert to walkers.  
Diane thought about how much she had changed since it all began. She would never have imagined she would find a group like this one. And Diane never imagined finding someone like Daryl. Never in her life had she thought she would find someone to make her feel wanted and loved.

Diane shook her head. As much as she liked to think of Daryl, she had to remain alert.  
Diane saw a small tree near a cliff and decided to sit on it for a few minutes. She sat relaxing with eyes half closed. If a walker came, she would definitely hear him.

But it wasn't a walker that she heard. Diane began to hear footsteps down the cliff, near a small lake. She opened her eyes and ran the area only to find a silhouette walking through the small lake.

Diane jumped from the tree and saw the man fall to the ground. She noticed the blood running through the water.  
She approached the cliff and saw that the man had an arrow stuck in his side and, through the bushes, Diane realized that Daryl was there lying on the ground unconscious.


	17. Chapter 17

_**A special thanks to everyone who follows this story, I love you all!**_

**_I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE WALKING DEAD._**

* * *

**Arrows**

Diane caught her breath for a few seconds, her eyes fully focused on Daryl. Without thinking twice, she put her bow on her back and walked quickly toward the ravine. She glanced around, breathing heavily, looking for walkers. Fortunately, there were no signs of them. "Daryl!" She yelled, each of her steps becoming faster and faster. The only thing Diane heard were her footsteps on the ground and her breathing. He had his eyes closed and his crossbow over his chest. There was a light wind that threatened to become stronger when the evening came. Diane looked around and noticed the two rotting bodies lying next to Daryl: one had an arrow pierced across his head and the other one had a stick also across his head. Diane's eyes widened and she knelt gently beside Daryl. He looked at her for a few seconds. His breath was panting and he had a wound in his hip.

"Daryl." She whispered to him, placing her hands on his face. Daryl also had wounds on his face and Diane tried to take a look at them. They weren't as bad as the one on his hip. Daryl opened his eyes and realized who was at his side. His eyes widened slightly, as if waiting for someone else to be there, not Diane. He looked around and raised his crossbow for a few seconds. When he realized they were alone, Daryl let her place her arms around his neck. He could hear the quick beating of her heart. "What happened?" Diane asked him, looking at his beautiful blue eyes.  
"What happened?" He repeated the question, getting up. He felt a huge pain on his hip, which made him stop his movements. Diane placed her hand on his shoulder to steady him. Daryl mumbled some words and looked at her again. "Damn horse got scared 'cause of a stupid snake. Made me fell from that ravine right there," He pointed at the ravine from where Diane had seen him. "An arrow got stuck in my hip and these walkers came at me."  
She gasped at the thought. "Well, I'm here now. Let's go." She said to him, getting up. Daryl looked at her for a brief second and got up as well.  
"Wait," He told her, looking at the walkers. "Wait a second."

Diane looked at him curiously. Daryl made his way towards one of the walkers and removed the arrow stuck in its head. He placed it in his crossbow and aimed it for a squirrel on a nearby tree. Diane looked at him with surprise. He had an instinct for survival that Diane had never seen in anyone else before. Daryl made his way towards the tree, grabbing the small squirrel and then he walked in Diane's direction. He looked at her and sat down on a trunk. Daryl placed the squirrel in front of him and began taking of its skin. Diane frowned at him but kept her mouth shut.  
Daryl stuck his knife on the trunk and began eating the dead animal. Diane kept quiet, watching him. She knew he had to do it in order to be able to climb the ravine without passing out again. Although Diane was there to help him, she couldn't do everything for him.

After a few minutes, he had finished eating. Diane looked in his eyes and saw how determined he was. Daryl made his way towards the walkers and grabbed his knife. He carefully cut each pair of ears from the walkers and made a necklace of it. Diane frowned again, unable to say anything about his behavior. Daryl looked at her and didn't even mind if he was scaring her. Diane nodded before grabbing her own bow. She walked towards him and placed her arm around him to help him walk.

They began to walk up the ravine focusing on the trail ahead of them. Diane stood beside Daryl; she was always one step ahead of him to prevent Daryl from falling. He was really hurt. Whenever he had to make a greater effort, Daryl began mumbling some words and became even more exhausted.

Diane was worried about being almost dark. If they took too long, they would only return home in the evening. And that would be worse because Diane had to protect Daryl from walkers who could be wondering around in the forest. If they were too many, neither any of them would make it. She had to make decision. The walk was still too long.

When Daryl asked for a few seconds to gain the strength to climb up some rocks, Diane sighed. She passed her hand across her forehead and wiped the beads of sweat that were piled on her forehead. Then she looked around, breathing hard.

"Daryl." She called him, grabbing her bow. Diane looked around them. If they fell from that place, Daryl could get even more hurt. She shook her head at the thought of falling from that high and looked in front of her. They were almost there. "Daryl, listen to me."

He finally looked at her. His whole face was dripping with sweat and Daryl looked exhausted. Diane took her fragile hand to his face and Daryl closed his eyes for a few seconds. She smiled. "I have an idea." Diane murmured, sitting on top of one rock, grabbing a branch to steady her. "You have to climb the rest alone, it's the only way." He looked at her surprised, but nodded at her statement. He knew it too. "But I don't want to leave you alone. I'm afraid." She confessed. Daryl glanced at her; his blue eyes were trembling with fatigue. Daryl gritted his lip softly and closed his eyes, as if trying to recover from a sudden pain on his hip. Then he changed his position to get a little more comfortable. He looked at the stick that he had with him and sighed.

"I'm thinking that it's gonna take us a while to return to the farm." Diane thought out loud, glancing at the trees. "Those walkers you saw may not be the only ones out there." She tried to walk in his direction. He noticed she was trying to reach him, so Daryl shifted in order to be able to hug her. Diane placed her arms around his neck and kissed it gently. "I'm going to see if there are any walkers around this place." She whispered to him, glancing at his wound. Daryl sighed. "I want you to climb this thing, okay? You can do it."  
Daryl nodded gently, grabbing his stick again. "Just go, girl." He told her when Diane started going slowly down the ravine. She looked at him. "I know how to take care of myself. You be careful."  
"I know." That's all Diane told him before turning his back at him. She placed her bow on her shoulder before steading herself on a tree. She glanced back at Daryl who was trying to climb the rest of the ravine. She hated herself for leaving him alone, but she had to protect him. And this was the way.

She took at least five minutes to return at the place where she found Daryl. Diane raised her bow quietly, looking around the trees and bushes. There was a silence in that place that made her shiver.  
Diane started walking through the trail of footsteps ahead of her. She figured it was the walkers' footsteps.

She continued to follow the path, listening to all the sounds around her: the sound of wind and the way the trees danced with it, the sound of running water in the small rivers of the forest. But the sound that Diane was keeping more focused was the footsteps of walkers. She remained alert all the way, but there were no signs of any more walker in the area where Daryl had fallen.

Diane decided to take the path in order to check the whole path and walk around the whole ravine and return to him on the way back home. Diane spotted at least two walkers near the entrance of the forest and she quickly lifted her bow. Diane gently closed one of her eyes and pointed the arrow to one of the walkers. This one was closer to her and it didn't have one of his arms. After a few seconds, Diane shot the arrow and a second later it had crossed the walker's head and it was lying on the ground. She took in another arrow and aimed for the last walker in front of her, who was looking around him, wanting to see where the sound had come from. Diane hit him with the arrow in a few seconds and the two walkers were lying on the ground, dead.

She sighed in relief when she returned to find her way back home. Before taking it, Diane decided to peek into the ravine. She placed her bow in her left shoulder and pulled her knife from the small pack she had for her own knifes. Diane walked silently the path and approached the ravine. Then Diane glanced at it calmly.

There weren't any signs of Daryl in there. Diane looked further down, placing her knees on the ground to get a better look around the ravine. He wasn't down there, so Diane deduced that he had followed the way home.

She got up quickly and began to run through the forest trail, feeling the wind whipping in her face heavily. Her breath was panting and Diane felt exhausted. The whole day had been stressful, but it was all about to end.

When Diane recognized the white house in the distance, she smiled, feeling an inexplicable sound of relief ran through her body. The effort would be rewarded by the fact that Daryl was there, safe.

As she approached the bushes, Diane heard voices. She hid behind them to figure out who was talking.  
"_That's the third time you point that thing on my head!_" She heard Daryl saying. Diane quickly grabbed her bow. _Who would be pointing a gun to Daryl's head?! _Diane thought to herself, her heart beating faster and faster. Before she could appear in front of them, Daryl continued talking. "_Are you gonna pull the trigger or what?_"

A few seconds later, Diane appeared from the bushes and aimed her bow. At first she didn't realized who was in front of her, but when she saw Rick's confused face looking towards her, Diane sighed in relief, placing her bow on the ground.  
Rick was in there with Shane, Glenn and T-Dog. In front of them was Daryl. He looked so exhausted that Diane figured they most of confused him with a walker.

Before Daryl could turn around and look at her, they heard a gunshot. In the next second, Daryl was on the ground, his crossbow around his waist. Diane screamed at the sight and ran towards him.

"No! No!" She heard Rick scream. Shane, Glenn and T-Dog followed her. She placed her knees on the ground.  
"Daryl?!" She called for him, panicking. He still had his eyes opened and Daryl looked at her surprised.  
He didn't have time to answer her. Before he knew it, Rick and Shane where grabbing him and helping the hunter to get up. Diane looked around and saw Andrea and Dale running in their direction.

"Oh my God!" Andrea screamed with panic. She glanced towards Diane and then she kept her eyes in Daryl. "Oh my God, is he dead?"  
Diane ignored her questions and grabbed her bow and Daryl's crossbow, running to him like a fox. Andrea kept asking if he was dead and Rick was the one who spoke.  
"Unconscious." He informed her, and Diane glanced at Andrea, fire running through her eyes. Diane _prayed _that Andrea wouldn't go and talk to her now. Dale glanced at her too, nervousness in his eyes. "You just grazed him." Rick added to make her feel calm.

Diane looked behind her when she heard T-Dog calling them. Rick and Shane turned around as well, taking a little bit more time shifting Daryl in their arms. "Guys!" T-Dog called them again. Diane looked at him and noticed a little doll in his hands. She looked at Daryl and then turned her attention to the doll again. "Isn't this Sophia's?" T-Dog asked again, glancing at Daryl.

Diane sighed. She didn't see the doll with Daryl because she was too busy with keeping him safe. But maybe, if she knew how he had found that doll, things could've been different. Maybe she passed Sophia on her way back, and Diane didn't even notice.  
She shook those thoughts away from her head as she watched Daryl entering Hershel's house. Diane was so exhausted that she placed her bow on her tent and tried to make her way to the house. When she was exiting the tent, Dale appeared in front of her. He took both of his hands to her shoulders, examining her face.

"Come." He demanded her, sitting her near their fire. Diane didn't say anything. Dale came back a few seconds later with a bottle of water in his hands. Diane's eyes widened when she saw the water and she took it from Dale's hands in seconds.  
"Thank you." She was able to say while drinking the water. Dale took it from her quickly.  
"Careful." He advised her, sitting down in front of her. "You can't drink it that fast."  
"I don't care." Diane whispered, closing her eyes. "I was so thirsty."  
"What happened?" Dale asked. Diane was already expecting that question. She noticed Glenn sitting next to Dale.  
"I was looking for Sophia." Diane informed them. "Daryl didn't know I was out there, so I was alone in the woods." Dale nodded. Diane tried to catch her breath a few times before continuing talking. "I saw Daryl lying on the ground with an arrow on his hip so I ran to him. Turned out he fall from his horse and killed two walkers while down there."  
"Why weren't you with him when he came back?" Glenn asked surprised.  
"Because the woods could have more walkers wondering around and he was injured. I decided to walk around the ravine and kill any walker that was there. I found two and then I made my way back to the trail. I didn't see Daryl, so I figured he had returned to the farm. When I returned he got shot. By Andrea."  
"You know it wasn't on purpose." Dale defended Andrea, placing his hand on her shoulder. Diane got up.  
"Yeah, I know. I just don't want to see her right now. I'm still pissed."  
"What are you doing?" Glenn asked, getting up as well.  
"Look, I'm fine. I'm going to see Daryl.

Diane walked into Hershel's house quickly. The adrenaline wasn't running through her veins anymore, so she began feeling even more tired. Her legs were hurting.  
She entered the house and saw Maggie, Beth and Carol in the kitchen. She smiled at them and climbed the stairs. When she reached the bedrooms, Rick and Lori were talking to themselves. When they saw her, Lori smiled gently at her.  
"How are you feeling?" She asked.  
"Fine." Diane answered, stepping towards the bedroom. "Rick, I'll talk to you, but first let…"  
"Yeah, I know." Rick interrupted her. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "I've already talked to Daryl, so it's okay."  
Diane smiled at him and opened the bedroom door.

When she entered the room she noticed Daryl had his back turned at the door. She glanced at the scars again but Daryl covered himself with the sheets in a few seconds. He turned his back at the window and glanced towards the door. He sighed in relief when he saw Diane closing the door and sitting down next to him.

"Are you okay?" Diane asked gently, kissing him on the lips. She couldn't even begin to describe how good it felt to feel him alive and kissing her. She kissed him again, this time placing her hand on his cheek.  
"I'm fine." Daryl told her. "You?"  
"I'm okay." She answered him, glancing through the window. "I killed two walkers before coming back. I was hoping to find you."  
"I made my way towards the farm pretty quickly." Daryl informed her, looking to her eyes.  
"Yeah, I know." Diane whispered. She looked at her feet and noticed how dirty they were. She smiled at the sight and removed her boots.

"Come here." Daryl whispered. Diane wasn't even sure if he had actually talked. But when Diane glanced at him, Daryl opened his sheets to welcome her in. Diane smiled gently and got up. She removed her clothes and dressed a t-shirt they had left for Daryl.

When she finally stepped in bed, Diane felt his arms around her waist, pulling her protectively closer to him. Diane closed her eyes quietly and smiled. She grabbed Daryl's hand and held it close to her face, feeling him carefully stroking her chin.  
Diane couldn't even describe how good she was feeling. Daryl closed his eyes as well and tried to relax. Diane wished time could stop so they could finally enjoy a few moments of peace.

But this only made Diane realized how dangerous everything could be and how she could lose the ones she loved so easily.


	18. Chapter 18

_**A special thanks to everyone who follows this story, I love you all!**_

_**I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE WALKING DEAD**_

* * *

**Confidence is like a broken paper**

They woke up early in the morning. Both Daryl and Diane slept in a comfortable bed in Hershel's house, but Diane knew they couldn't stay there forever. If felt really nice to sleep in a real bed so Diane was sad about leaving the small room.  
Daryl was still lying down in bed, looking at the girl as she put on some clothes. She glanced at him from the corner of her eyes, watching him. Daryl had a serious look on his face, studying her fragile figure carefully. She had lots of scars, and Daryl didn't like the thought of her doing that to herself.  
Diane seemed to notice how serious he was and she figured he had been staring at her tights and arms. She gently smiled and sat down next to him in bed, grabbing his right hand.  
"I know why you're staring." Diane whispered, grabbing her dark blue denim vest and putting it on. She had a dark brown sweater and black jeans. Daryl watched her carefully. "Please, stop." She asked him, getting up.

He didn't answer her. Daryl got up slowly and Diane placed her left arm around his waist carefully not to hurt him on his wound. He began walking and tried to reach for his stuff, but Diane placed her right hand on his chest.  
"They're in the tent." She informed him, opening the door. Daryl nodded and started walking again.  
They walked the rest of the house in silence, hoping not to wake anyone. They knew Hershel's family was still asleep, but their group was already awake, preparing the gun training for the day.

After going downstairs, Diane opened the front door and both exit the house. They noticed the smell of food coming from their small camp and Diane felt her stomach begging for food. She giggled slowly at the sound and Daryl smiled gently, pressing his right hand on her shoulder.  
As soon as they approached camp, Rick gave Diane a hand. Both of them put Daryl in his tent, lying him down on a comfortable _bed _Diane tried to make for him. He closed his eyes for a few seconds and then opened them up again. Daryl hated being in his tent for the whole day. He glanced at Diane and sighed, feeling bored already. She showed him her tongue and walked in Carol's direction to grab some food.  
The older woman smiled gently at her. "How's he doing?" Carol asked, placing some food in two plates.  
"He's better." Diane answered, grabbing the first plate. She glanced towards Daryl before speaking again. "But he needs to rest today."  
Carol nodded and handed her the second plate. Diane thanked her and walked towards the tent.  
Just as she was giving Daryl his food, Andrea grabbed her arm and stopped Diane from entering the tent. "I need to talk to you." Andrea asked gently.  
"Okay." Diane gave her a curious look. She placed her plate on the ground and walked towards the RV. "What is it?" Diane asked.  
Andrea sighed. "Look, I'm sorry." She began to say, throwing her arms in the air. "For shooting… Daryl. I thought it was a walker."  
Diane stopped her. "It's fine. I understand your reasons."  
Andrea wasn't expecting that answer. She was expecting Diane to scream at her and threat her to not put Daryl in danger ever again, but that wasn't Diane's reaction. Andrea stood there, smiling at the girl, before Diane made her way towards the tent.  
Just as Andrea was opening the RV's door, Diane turned around and called her. "Andrea!" She said. Andrea stopped her movements. "Next time you should listen to Rick. Someone might actually get hurt."  
Andrea nodded and Diane returned to the tent.

"What did she want?" Daryl asked, eating his food calmly. Diane grabbed her plate and sat next to Daryl.  
"She was apologizing for shooting you." Diane smiled, taking a bite. Daryl rolled his eyes. "I said it was fine."  
"Yeah." That's all Daryl told her. Diane shook her head annoyingly. "What?"  
She swallowed the food and threw her arm in the air. "I know this is tremendously boring for you." Diane confessed. "But you have stitches. They need to heal."  
Daryl rolled his eyes. "I told ya I'm fine." He insisted, placing his plate on the ground.  
"Yeah, you're fine. But you needed help to take off your own clothes." Diane teased, punching him slightly on the leg.  
"Whatever." He told her, lying on the ground.

She sighed and grabbed his plate. Diane finished her food while she handed Carol Daryl's plate. When she finished her food, Rick walked in her direction.  
"Can we talk?" He asked. Diane smiled.  
"Sure. I guess everyone has something to say to me today." Rick looked at her confused. "Never mind." She answered quickly. "So, what's up?"  
"I want to tell you I'm sorry about Daryl." Rick began to say, placing his hand on his waist. "Andrea should've listened to us."  
"She should have listened to you." Diane pointed out, clearly giving him a hint.  
Rick looked at the ground for a few seconds. "Yeah, I've been thinkin' about that lately."  
"You wanna know what the problem around here is?" Diane interrupted him. She glanced at the camp for a few seconds. "Shane."  
Rick followed her look and saw Shane near the RV, cleaning his weapon. Then he looked at the ground again, but Diane continued. "He's the problem, Rick. Shane will always be against you, no matter what you say or do."  
"You may be right, but he's my friend. I've known him for years." Rick defended Shane, looking carefully towards the camp. "He's my friend."  
"Maybe he's not the man you knew." Diane whispered. "I'll always have your back, Rick. You know who has your back too? Daryl."  
Rick looked her in the eyes. There was something there that told Diane that Rick knew what she was saying. And he also knew it was true.  
"Daryl is loyal." Diane continued, smiling at the thought. "He's better than Shane, trust me."  
Rick looked away from her. For a few seconds, Diane thought he was actually thinking about her words. He cleaned his forehead before looking at Diane again. "Are you goin' with us today?"  
Diane nodded. "Sure, I wouldn't miss it."  
Rick smiled and nodded at her before walking towards Shane. Diane saw the two of them preparing the bags and guns for the practice.  
Diane made her way towards the tent. She entered it slowly and realized Daryl had his eyes closed. She shook her head. _Didn't he say he was fine?_ She thought to herself. _So stubborn.  
_Diane grabbed her gun and placed it in her belt. Then she made a small ponytail and headed towards Rick and Shane.  
"Are we ready?" Diane asked them, throwing herself into the car.

* * *

Diane didn't think so many of them would actually go to gun practice. Even Carl was allowed to go, even if Lori had her doubts.  
Diane understood perfectly why he had to be there. It was safer if he knew how to deal with a gun rather than not use them at all.  
Diane had placed herself near Carl, Rick and Lori. She had her own gun so all she had to do was place some bottles at a reasonable distance and practice her shooting. After she done that, Diane glanced at Carl and winked at him. The boy smiled at her before grabbing his gun.  
Diane watched as Carl closed one of his eyes and aimed at the small bottle in front of him. He shifted his hands on the gun a few times before shooting it.  
At his first tries, Carl wasn't able to hit the target. But at the fourth time, he nailed it.  
"See that?" He asked Diane after Rick walked towards his wife and then headed towards Shane.  
"Awesome, Carl. Keep going!" Diane encouraged him. She placed her gun in her belt and walked towards Rick. She smiled at Lori when passed by her.  
Diane noticed how Beth, Jimmy and Patricia were also in the gun practice. She thought it was really important for this people to learn how to shoot. They had to be prepared if something happened. Of course Diane or any of those people didn't want anything bad to happen. For the first time in a long time, they actually felt safe. The farm seemed like a good place to survive. They were somehow separated from all the panic and death that had been happening.  
Diane always wanted to have a farm, even before all this. When she was little, Diane used to say to her father that when she grew up she was going to buy a big farm and have a lot of animals. Her father used to love her ambitions, and he carefully stroke her soft cheek. _I know you will sweetie_, he used to tell her.

When Diane reached Rick and Shane, both of them looked at her surprised. Diane smiled at Rick and noticed how Shane started to walk away.  
"Your boy is a natural." Diane teased Rick, looking at Carl one more time. Rick did the same.  
"I guess he is." Rick answered, grabbing his gun. "Did you practice?"  
"Are you kidding?" Diane asked, grabbing her gun again. "Of course I did."  
Next to them, Andrea and Shane were talking about Andrea's aiming. Diane and Rick turned around and heard Shane mocking her.  
Rick and Diane listened as Shane told Andrea that she would eventually hit her target. Andrea looked at him and smiled.  
"Who says I didn't hit my target?"  
Shane, Rick and Diane looked further away and noticed how she had shot a signal right between the space of the letter "O". Diane had to admit it required talent. Rick looked even more surprised.  
"I think she's ready for the advanced class." Rick teased.  
He smiled at her and returned to his son. Lori joined them and both watched Carl shoot the target again.  
Diane smiled just before aiming at a random bottle in front of her. Just as she hit her target, she heard a conversation between Andrea and Shane.

"So, you decided not to leave us." Andrea was saying, reloading her weapon. "What changed your mind?"  
Diane glanced at Shane just in time to see him look at Carl and Lori.  
Everything made perfectly sense now. Diane understood just fine what had happened between those two. She remembered the conversation she had heard when they were looking for Sophia, in the church. At that time, Diane wasn't sure about what they were talking about, but now everything was clear.  
Diane took one last glance at Shane before seeing him take Andrea to his car. After a few minutes, Rick told them to go back to the farm.

* * *

When they returned to the farm, Hershel's family thanked Rick for letting them practice their shooting and Rick nodded at them.  
Diane didn't hesitate. She knew the best person to talk about Shane was Dale. He was the voice of reason. He reminded Diane so much of her father, so Dale was definitely a father figure for her.  
She made her way towards the RV and saw Dale on top of it with his binoculars. He saw her coming and smiled.  
"You are back already?" He asked, climbing down the stairs. She smiled as Dale approached her. Then, her smile fade away. Dale noticed that change and narrowed his eyes. "What's wrong?"  
Diane sighed. "I only came to talk to you because I know you're wise." Diane told him, which made Dale smile slightly. "It's about Shane."  
He became very serious when heard the man's name. "Did he do something?"  
"Not exactly." Diane answered quickly. "I mean, he did. But a long time ago."  
"What do you mean?"  
"All I can say is that he's dangerous." Dale nodded and Diane continued. "Shane doesn't respect Rick, and that's a problem. Rick is supposed to be the leader an…"  
"You know Shane would never allow that." Dale interrupted her, grabbing his hat. "Did you tell Rick this?"  
"I told him that the only problem here is Shane. I told Rick that he is dangerous and will never support Rick's choices."  
"I know." Dale answered her. He glanced at the road and saw a car approaching.  
"It's Shane." Diane informed him. "And Andrea."  
Dale looked at her surprised. He suddenly felt nervous for Andrea and left Diane alone near the RV. As Diane made her way towards the tent, she noticed how strange Andrea was acting. The woman was glancing towards Shane and Dale understood perfectly what happened between those two.  
When Diane saw Daryl's tent, she figured he should be sleeping. She turned around one more time when Andrea greeted her, and saw Dale having a conversation with Shane.  
"This isn't going to end well…" Diane whispered while entering the tent. She placed her gun near her bow and started taking of her vest.  
"What?" She heard Daryl ask. Diane turned in his direction quickly. He was lying down on the ground and had two books on his side. He seemed to be sharpening some arrows.  
"I thought you were sleeping." Diane answered while placing her vest on her backpack. She lay down next to him and kissed his neck. "Dale." She continued, glancing towards the older man. "I talked with him about Shane."  
Daryl shifted and wrapped his right arm around her waist. "What did he do?"  
"I think he's acting strange." Diane wondered, placing her hand on Daryl's chest. "I mean, it's pretty obvious that he doesn't respect Rick."  
"Yeah. But Rick's knows it." Daryl whispered back.  
"He doesn't want to accept the truth." Diane continued wondering. "And that story about Otis doesn't seem right."  
"I know." Daryl agreed. Diane raised her head and looked at him confused. "He told me something about what happened."  
"I bet my life its bullshit." Diane whispered, glancing towards Shane. "I don't trust him."  
Daryl took a few seconds before answering. "Good."  
They laughed together for a while, pulling themselves closer to each other. Diane kissed him gently on the lips and cuddled closer to him, placing her head on the curve of his neck and shoulder. And before they knew it, the sky was darker and everyone was gathered near the small fire. Daryl had to stay in his tent for the whole day and night, so Diane stood with him. She still kept an eye on Shane, watching his movements. She knew it was only a matter of time before he did something.  
Something that would cause a lot of problems.


End file.
